


The Next Steps

by TheRealhero



Series: Returning Home [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Aftermath, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Graphic Violence, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Recovery, Resident Evil - Freeform, Resident Evil 5, Sexual Content, Survival Horror, Understanding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-02-18 01:37:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 31,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2330456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealhero/pseuds/TheRealhero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jill Valentine returns home from Africa and must work her way through the things she experienced while under the control of Albert Wesker. Her life can't seem to settle as she handles the BSAA's questions as well as facing the feelings Chris has come to develop during his search for her. She recalls what she went through and must try and figure out how to live with it and became the person she used to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

“What were his plans for Uroboros?”  
“He was never very clear about it when he was around me.”  
“Did he plan to attack the United States?”  
“Sir, I think he wanted to attack everyone…everywhere.”  
“What was your part in these plans?”  
“He wanted my blood…he said I could stabilize Uroboros because of my…immunity.”  
“Were you at any point exposed to the parasite?”

The questions had gone on for hours and yet they all seemed to just blur together. Jill could remember sitting there answering each one with the same dry tone. Even though she’d been with Wesker for over three years, the agent in her still knew the drill. She knew that they would do this. It was just part of the routine. And for her, it was expanded tenfold because of the extreme nature of what she’d been a part of. As soon as the plane had touched down, she was ready for whatever they had to throw at her.  
There was the physical exam to make sure that she wasn’t infected or injured. And from there, she was immediately debriefed. Noting was more important and unfortunately that meant no moment to relax or to breathe easy. If it wasn’t Chris, it was the BSAA’s top dogs. They all wanted to know what had happened to her during those three years. What had he done to her? How had she survived the fall from Spencer’s extravagant home? It was all just the same thing over and over until she thought her voice might go out and her ears would bleed.

When she finally got her chance to sleep, she was put under guard. Apparently she was being treated as a treat until further notice. It was nothing to be offended over. If she’d been on the opposite side, she’d have locked her up as well. Wesker was the BSAA’s most wanted. He’d been at large since the Raccoon incident and had been behind so many of their worst cases…anyone associated with him was not to be trusted. Even if they had been a prisoner.

Jill laid her head back against the plain white pillow and stared up at the plain white ceiling of her room. Tomorrow she would undergo more medical treatment to remove the inserts that Wesker had planted into her spine. Or…they were going to try. The small disks that lined either side of her spinal cord were things she’d just learned to live with. They didn’t even bother her anymore. During her time in Africa, they had been used for various things. They had kept her alive during her long ‘sleep’ and then had been used to pump her body with things that made her strong and faster…better. 

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it. It was all over now. Wesker was dead and she was back. But what did that really mean? Maybe she would go back to being a regular BSAA agent. Or perhaps she could just quit and go home…did she even still have a home? Probably not. Who was she going to stay with until she could get her life back in order? Immediately Chris flashed behind her lids but the thought made her uneasy. In the past she’d have been perfectly okay with staying with him. They were partners. They did everything together. But that was the past. That was years ago. They hadn’t even seen each other since that terrible night. And she could already tell that things were not the same.

The entire flight home, Chris had stared at her with sad and longing eyes. He’d explained to her how he never gave up and how her picture had been what lead him to Africa in the first place. A single picture had been what brought Wesker down, really. But it wasn’t the time passing that gave her strange feelings about Chris…it was how much different they both seemed to be. She knew that she was not the same person anymore and he seemed far from himself. Of course he was still strong and determined but he was also older, more worn looking. Had he really spent all his time searching for her? It was dedication and it scared her.

That was what she fell asleep to. It was fear of what could be happening in her future. So when she felt the sun on her face, Jill was a little surprised to have fallen asleep at all. She pushed herself upright, blond hair falling over her shoulders. The room was still bare and she was alone. That was a change. There was always someone waking her up for her routine when she was in Africa. To be alone…it made her feel off. So the woman stood up and dropped to the ground next to her bed. She pressed her palms against the cool concrete and began to lift her body up and down. The exercise made her feel more normal. 

By the time someone finally knocked, she’d gone through several exercises and felt more awake. “Come in!” She called as she sat down on the bed and waited. Seconds later, a thin woman with glasses stepped inside. “Ms. Valentine, the surgeon is ready.” She said and stared down at her chart. Jill nodded and stood up. This was something she was honestly dreading. Inserting the disks had been some of the most agonizing pain she had ever felt. Having them taken out could not possibly feel any better. Luckily she was going to be out cold for this. Wesker had wanted her awake for the process. Something about checking how they affected her or something like that.

It wasn’t long before she was sitting up on a metal table in the middle of a sterile room on the BSAA Africa base. Her back was exposed as Doctors examined her and made up their plan. She stared forward at the floor, not even thinking about any of it. This was another thing she’d grown used to…

_“And how do we feel now?”_  
“It hurts.”  
“That will pass, Jill…” 

“Ms. Valentine? Jill?”

She snapped her head up and turned to look over her shoulder. “Are you alright?” One of the doctors asked. She quickly nodded. “Sorry, I just drifted off…” She said and closed her eyes as they went back to what they were doing. Her body was solid but on the inside she was trembling. Those had been the words they’d exchanged after one of the many procedures he’d performed on her. His voice was so clear. It was as if he’d been right there, standing in front of her. She could almost smell that ridiculous cologne he always wore.

“This isn’t going to work.” Someone said. She turned her head again and waited. “The x-rays show these tubes are integrated all the way down along your spinal cord. If we try and remove them, there could be permanent damage. Are they causing you pain?” he asked. Jill shook her head. “I don’t even feel them anymore.” She admitted. So she was going to be stuck with these forever. Somehow she imaged that blonde bastard laughing at her. Her body was scared…and she hated it.

That night she again lay in bed, staring at the darkness over her head. All day she’d dealt with people poking and prodding at her. Her body was just one big toy for them all. They wanted to each and every detail of what Wesker had put her through. And she’d done all she could to cooperate. He’d trained her, worked with her every single day until her body couldn’t even hold itself up. He’d pushed her limits to greatness, as he’d put it. And she was better than she’d ever been. Those words scared the doctors and she knew it. But it was true. She could run faster and jump higher. She could do nearly everything Wesker could do…had done. 

Again she closed her eyes and tried shove the thoughts from her mind. In another week she’d been going back to the states and this was all going to be the past. She’d get her chance to settle and breath for a while without worrying about doctors and questions. Claire Redfield had called the base, not to talk to her brother but to demand she be allowed to take Jill in once she was back. The woman smiled and let out a sigh. Claire knew that she didn’t want to be around anyone complicated right now and Chris…it was too much to deal with immediately. So Jill had happily excepted the invitation to stay with the younger Redfield.


	2. Everything Would Be Nonsense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jill returns to the United States, she's finds that she's not who she used to be. The normal world doesn't seem to suit her anymore and she can't find a hold anywhere.

Claire’s house was perfectly clean and everything seemed in almost scary order. There was nothing extra. It was like hotel room. And the younger woman seemed to immediately notice Jill’s confused look. “I’m really never here…” She said and cleared her throat. Picking up one of the bags filled with new clothes, Claire smiled and lead her down the hall to the spare bedroom she boasted about on the drive over. Jill didn’t really care how luxurious it was, she just wanted to bury herself in a real bed and sleep forever.

And Claire seemed to understand. After giving Jill the speech about where everything was and how she was welcome to eat or use anything, the other woman vanished. For a few seconds, Jill listened as Claire’s footsteps faded away. Then she let out a sigh of relief. The room was nice just as she’d been told but that was something to worry about later. Jill lifted her bags up onto the bed and started to dig through them. They’d bought all sorts of basic things like toiletries but all she wanted was her new pajamas. 

Standing in the middle of the room, she held the soft cotton t-shirt in her fingers. It was just plain blue. Nothing special…but it felt like something so momentous. It was normal. Just normal. There were logos or words. Tears came to her eyes and Jill couldn’t help herself. She sat down the bed and held the shirt against her chest. The tears fell down her cheeks and didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon…

_“The pain will end.”  
She shook her head and buried her face into her shaking hands. A hand touched her back, trailing softly down her spine. “You don’t need to worry. I saved you once. I don’t plan on letting anything else kill you.” _

Jill sucked in a breath and shook her head. Quickly, she changed clothes. So badly had she wanted these memories to go away the second she got back…yet here they were. Again, he was invading her mind with her voice, his smell, everything. Tossing the remaining bags to the floor, Jill curled up in the blankets and shut her eyes tight. Sleeping was going to make it better. She never dreamed anymore so it was like a safe place. He couldn’t get to her there. In her sleep, the world no long existed, past or present. She was free.  
And this was how her days went for another week. She spent the day trying to remember how to be normal and avoiding her memories. Chris called a few times to check in on her. Of course she was always happy on the phone but it was all an act. Simple things frustrated her; Like making coffee. She just couldn’t seem to remember how to do household things she’d done almost every day of her adult life. Oh but she could remember ten ways to break a man’s arm. 

Claire liked to joke that it was like rehabilitation. She was right. Jill felt like she was broken and she had to relearn everything. Each day it was a struggle. But she’d handled far worse than cooking dinner in her life. Small tasks got easier but there was always something else. When Claire wasn’t home, she felt helpless. Cereal was pretty much all she ate and it felt humiliating. This whole situation made her feel pointless and more and more like a burden on Claire. 

By the time a month rolled around. Jill felt as though she were going to pull her hair out of her head. Chris was coming over and it would be the first time they’d seen each other since their parting in Africa. She’d been attempting to make orange juice with Claire’s very expensive looking juicer. The other woman had done it with such ease that it couldn’t possibly be that hard. That was what she’d thought. About forty five seconds in, the machine was shooting juice out at her and making a very strange sound. Jill screamed at first and shoved her hands against the opening, trying to stop the flow. It wasn’t doing her much good though.

She heard the door and glanced over her shoulder to see Chris rushing over. He was probably alarmed by the noises she was making as she tried to gain dominance over the dastardly piece of technology. But then she heard the laughing. Chris came up next to her and she couldn’t help herself. Jill moved her hand and stream of orange juice shot out and hit him right square in the face. The man let out a very unmanly sound before he started to fight forward. It was now her turn to laugh as she escaped, nearly slipping in all the mess that had been created. 

Finally, Chris managed to get the juicer unplugged and the room was silent again aside from their heavy breathing. He turned around and glared at her but she could tell it was more good natured. She grinned and looked around. “Someone broke in and attacked the juicer.” She said and nodded. Chris just laughed and nodded in agreement. “There was nothing you could have done.” He added and smiled. For a few seconds, Jill felt like time had warped back. This was how they’d been years ago. And it was nice.  
That was what she’d really wanted. Of course she’d returned to her sad self soon but for just a little while, she wanted to be the Jill that he remembered. She wanted to forget Wesker and just enjoy being covered in orange juice, laughing it off. That would have been the perfect revenge against the man. He would have hated to see her laughing with Chris again…


	3. Bitter Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris finally manages to break Jill's walls down, allowing her to feel better about where her life is. But will the BSAA build everything right back up?

Fist after fist slammed into the punching bag. The chains jerked and strained to keep it in place as she attempted to pound her way through it. This little trip to the gym had been Chris’ idea. He suggested that it might take her mind off of the problems she was having at home. And maybe he’d been right. She felt so much better when she was working up a sweat. Her body was more relaxed even though she was pushing it. That was one of the few pluses of what had happened to her.

Swinging her body around, her leg made contact with the bag. It shuttered against its restraints. To the side, she heard Chris make a sound as he watched. Stopping, she turned and looked at him. “What?” She asked and wiped her brow. “I’ve been on the other end of that kid.” He said and smirked. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the bag. It was nice that he could make light of that time but for her, it was harder than that.

She could still see herself hurting Chris and Sheva. Even though it bothered her, she was glad that Chris wasn’t holding anything against her. At that time, Wesker had used the full force of his control on her. And the pain had been unbearable. He’d known she’d never fight against her partner and he’d forced her to do it anyway. With that thought in mind, she hit the bag harder. This time the chain broke and the heavy object swung back. Jill stepped away, her eyes wide. Looking over quickly, she saw that Chris looked just as shocked as she probably did.

Never in their entire friendship had Jill been able to overpower Chris. He’d been a small guy before but always strong. Now though, she probably had him on strength. That was something that upset her. Gathering up her things, the woman turned and made for the door. “I need to go home.” She said without looking back. But Chris was obviously following her. “Wait, Jill.” He said but she kept walking. “Jill will you stop walking!” he said, almost as if he were snapping at her, but she knew he wouldn’t be like that. 

So she stopped walking finally and turned around. As soon as she looked at him, she had to fight off the tears that were threatening to come flowing out. This was her life now. She just upset herself all the time. It was like being a teenager all over again. Chris took her bag and set it down before he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, relax. The doctors said this stuff is going to pass. You just have to give it time.” He said and offered her a smile. It wasn’t enough though. Jill shook her head and looked down. “He turned me into a freak.” She said.

Chris almost seemed to get angry at that. He lifted her chin and gave her a stern look. “Stop thinking about Wesker. Yeah he made you strong but is that so bad? He could have infected you with something horrible or let you die. But you’re here. You’re here and he’s not. What does that tell you?” he asked but she did not give an answer. “It tells me that you’re stronger than him and you deserve more than to sit around and hate yourself.” His words hung in the air for a moment before she finally smiled. Maybe he was right. There were worse things that she could have gone through. She was still human and that was a big deal considering all they knew.

Chris pulled her into a hug that she gladly accepted. Jill wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Chris had been making her feel better about pretty much everything for as long as they had known each other. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. Maybe that was the answer to all her concerns. During those years with Wesker, she’d been without her partner. The world had been off balance. But now that they were back together, he was already fixing the things that were wrong with her. She squeezed him a little harder and smiled wide. 

The rest of the day went without a single negative incident and Jill found herself more relaxed than she’d been since the helicopter ride away from the volcano. After they parted ways, she sat down alone in her room and let out a breath. It felt like she was letting out all that strain and fear at once and her body felt lighter. Some people liked to say that a weight was lifted that they didn’t even know they had. Well that wasn’t the same for her. Jill knew exactly what was on her shoulders. It wasn’t gone but she could feel it starting to fade. 

That happy momentum carried on for weeks and Jill felt like she might be finally getting back to her normal life. She hadn’t thought about Wesker in days and the juicer was finally on her side. Of course, there were always things that could bring a person down and they always seemed to find their way in. That happened right around the second month of her being home. Part of her had been ready for it though. Too much happy always gave way to bad times.

That bad time came in the form of the BSAA offering her the position back that she’d held before her captivity. Obviously Jill had been weighing this subject in her mind for a long time. Did she want to go back to that life? Really it had been her entire adult life. She’d never done anything else that she could return to. There was no doubt that she’d still be able to handle it physically but the mental aspect had her and the BSAA worried. Chris insisted that she could handle it but he didn’t know if it was a good idea for her either.

So when she walked into the office that her meeting was to be in, Jill had herself squared and ready. She needed this. Going back to work would continue her normal stride and in the long run, it was the best idea. But there was another fear that was hiding just beyond the surface. The last time she’d held a gun, Jill had been aiming it at Chris. It wasn’t like she was going to work at a desk. If she was coming back, she was going to do field work. That was something she knew for sure.

What was going to happen when she picked up a gun again for the first time? Part of her thought that she’d just flow right back into it without a single problem…but she’d been around long enough to know that agents were always affected differently when it came to weapons. Wesker had trained her in the use of weapons she’d never even touched before. She’d become more of an expert than probably anyone else in the BSAA. That didn’t mean that her mind was going to be ready for it all again. And the last thing she needed was to freeze under pressure.

There were going to be doctors involved again but this time they would be surveying her mind rather than the effects on her body. At least when it was physical, she knew exactly what she was getting into. Psychiatrists made her nervous as it was. Having them prod at the darkest parts of her mind made things even worse. They were going to want to know all about her weapons training with Wesker and what he’d had her do with those skills. When she came home, those were questions that the BSAA had asked as well but they didn’t care about the effect it had on her. They just wanted the facts. Now her actions were going to be put into a different kind of question.


	4. A Glance Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flash into the past reveals the beginning of Jill's steps towards recovering after she and Wesker plummeted from Spencer's Castle.

June 5th, 2007

“Are you just going to sit in that wheel chair for the rest of your life?”

Pale eyes turned up, glaring holes into the head of the man that stood over her. He had his arms crossed over his chest in that horrible superior way that he always did. But for once, his voice wasn’t as condescending as usual. Wesker had been trying to convince her to try and walk for days and she just knew that it wasn’t going to happen. The fall from Spencer’s estate had destroyed her body. She was lucky to be alive. Several surgeries later, Jill was sitting there in the medical wing with Wesker again. He was attempting to coax her from the wheel chair that had become her home. It wasn’t going to happen though. She knew her legs were ruined forever. No amount of surgery could fix that. Why wouldn’t he just understand? 

Wesker stepped closer and pressed his hands to the arms of the chair. “You can walk. I’ve fixed your legs. The only thing that is stopping you is your fear. And after surviving a fall like we did, you shouldn’t have any fear left.” He said and smirked. Jill wanted to reach up and smack that stupid bastard smirk right off his face. And she might have tried if her arms weren’t so heavy. She’d broken nearly all her bones in that fall and though it had been around a year…maybe, she knew she couldn’t ever be herself again. Who knew how much time had really passed. It wasn’t like she had a calendar on the wall to keep track. Her body just didn’t feel healed so it didn’t matter.

But this horrible man would not leave her alone. He just kept mocking her, telling her things that weren’t true. And day after day, she simply refused to embarrass herself by trying something that she knew she was going to fail at. Wesker wasn’t satisfied with that, though. The man let out a sigh that might have been frustrated and stood back up. But he did not do so alone. He grabbed her by the arms and forced her up along with him.

Jill gasped and gripped his shoulders hard. Her legs were useless and felt like jelly. Wesker kept a hold on her arms, forcing her to remain there, practically dangling. “You have to build up your strength but you’ll never even get to that point if you don’t get over this fear.” He told her. She glared at him more and made a sound of protest. Her hands were aching from his hold and how tightly she was hanging on to him. She knew that if she let go, she’s just collapse and that wasn’t an option. She’d never hear the end of it if she did.

Slowly, he started to release his hard grip on her arms. Jill felt the panic rising in her. “Don’t…” she said and closed her eyes. All her concentration went into holding herself up that by the time his hands left her completely, she thought she might pop a vessel in her brain or something just as terrible. The seconds ticked by and eventually she cracked open one eye. Wesker was staring at her with a look of mild amusement that instantly enraged her. She pulled a hand back, fully intending to hit him this time but she didn’t get that far.

Her body didn’t instantly collapse. Looking down, she realized that she was standing. Her legs were shaking like crazy but they weren’t giving out. But as with most things, as soon as she realized that she was standing, her mind told her she couldn’t be, and her legs gave out. Wesker caught her, helping her back down into her chair. “Should I say I told you say?” he teased, furthering her anger. Even though she was mad, Jill did feel that spark of hope. So what if he’d been right? At least his annoying need to be right had finally come to something that was positive for her. Maybe she could walk again someone. And if she did, she’d walk right up and kick his ass!


	5. Instincts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting back into the swing of things isn't always easy but the end results could be better than Jill imagined.

The hallway was dark, only a small amount of light filtering in through one of the windows. There was a soft dripping sound in the distance but other than that, not a sound could be heard aside from her own breathing. Jill kept her gun pointed at the ground as she moved slowly down the hall. There was a turn up ahead. Chris reached it first. When he got to it, it checked the left and signaled for her to approach. She moved forward and checked the right before giving him a nod. They both sprung out into the new hall, guns pointed different directions.

Together, they moved farther into the building. Jill had taken point, her eyes on the doorways ahead of them. Suddenly a man emerged from the right. He wore a black mask and had a gun pointed right at her. Jill lifted her own weapon and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. It was jammed. Instinct took over as she dropped the gun and rushed across the open space. Before the man could react, she knocked the weapon from his hand and punched him hard in the face. As his head snapped back, Jill pushed him up against the wall and pressed her forearm against his throat. 

“Stop!” Chris shouted behind her but she only stared into the bulging eyes of the man in front of her. His face was starting to turn blue when someone grabbed her from behind. Anger welled up in her as she attempted to throw an elbow back at her attacker. There was a groan but he didn’t let go. Jill lifted her legs, pushing her boots against the wall to knock them both backwards. Both she and the attacker fell backwards, landing hard on the wood floor. As soon as his grip lessened, she spun around and straddled the man, her fist raised and ready to be brought down.

But the person below her was not an attacker. It was Chris. He was staring up at her with wide eyes. He was breathing hard but holding perfectly still otherwise. Seconds ticked by until a buzzer went off somewhere and light flooded into the hallway. A man in full riot gear came rushing in. “Valentine, just what the hell was that?” he snapped. It was their supervisor. Right, this was a test. Jill jumped off of Chris and took a few steps back. “Sorry…I just…my gun jammed.” She said and looked away. Chris managed to get himself up off the floor. He rubbed his side and batted a hand through the air. “It’s alright. If this had been real, that guy would have shot at us. She would have saved our lives.” He said, clearly trying to defend her. 

It was too late. Jill knew that she’d screwed up. Those attack instincts Wesker forced her to develop would probably save her life in a bad situation but right now, they were going to cost her the job she loved. The guy she’d attacked was sitting on the floor, rubbing his neck. He’d pulled his mask off and she could see just how bad she’d been choking him. A grim line came over her lips. The Captain walked over and checked the man before looking back to her. “Hit the lockers Valentine. We’ll talk about this later.” He said and turned away. Feeling ashamed of herself, Jill turned without another word and headed out.

In the silence of the locker room, she just sat alone. At this rate, she would never get back on the field. Jill dropped her head into her hands and tried to calm herself. Maybe it wasn’t so bad…oh who was she trying to kid? They were going to bench her for good after this. Almost killing one of your fellow agents was probably a hot button. Hearing the door open, Jill sighed. Seconds later someone sat down next to her and wrapped their arm around her shoulders. She didn’t need to see him to know it was Chris. Without hesitation, she leaned against his side. “I screwed up.” She muttered. 

“It’s not that bad. The Captain thinks basic field work might be too…easy for you.” He said, causing her to look up at him. “What?” she asked. “He said he might want you on a new task force the BSAA is setting up. Your skills would be of real use.” He added and seemed happy about it. A task force? She looked down and thought about it. She was used to the hard stuff after the things Wesker made her do. Maybe working for this new team could be exactly what she needed. “What about you?” She asked, turning her gaze back to him.

Chris shrugged. “They’ve been talking to me about maybe doing some lead…like…” he hesitated and then smiled. Jill could see that he was trying to be understanding but something had him excited. So she smiled back and nudged him. “Well, what is it?” she prompted. Chris grinned wider. “They offered me Captain.” He said and Jill let her own smile brighten. “Chris that’s great! You should accept! You’d be an amazing leader!” And it wasn’t just her boasting for him. Chris was a natural leader. This was a role he’d be perfect in. “Anyone who works for you is going to be very lucky.” She added and pushed her shoulder against him. He let out a soft chuckle and nodded. “I don’t know about that but I do think I’m gonna take it. You can be a super woman on your new team and I’ll show these kids how to really fight.” He said and smirked. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so terrible after all.


	6. Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill lives her life in Africa, reaching new heights and new lows.

December 12th 2007

Jill’s heart was beating fast and her breath was rushing out in heavy puffs. Every muscle in her body was aching and her lungs felt like they were on fire. Yet she kept running. The machine under her kept moving, the floor vanishing over and over as she kept going forward. Directly in front of her, Wesker was standing, eyes cast down at his watch. He hadn’t looked up once in the last five minutes. Or at least she thought it was five minutes. It really felt like an eternity. Each day it was like that but it was a little better each time as well.

“That’s enough.” He finally said and looked up. Jill stopped running and let her body be pushed backwards by the machine until she jumped off onto the unmoving ground. As always, she felt like she was going to die. “God…” she breathed out and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Wesker tossed her a towel and went to write something down on a clip board. At one point she asked what he was doing and his reply had been that he was keeping track of her progress. It seemed like a reasonable answer so she never worried much about it again.

Following the routine she’d grown used to, Jill walked over to the exam table in the corner and sat down. Soon Wesker was with her. He checked her pulse and listened to her breath. By the time he was done with all the little checkups he did, her breathing was nearly normal again. “Anything new?” She asked, watching him as he wrote down some more of his notes. “That was twice your normal distance.” He commented and Jill’s eyes went wide. “What? It felt the same…” 

Wesker walked around behind her and lifted her shirt to check the inserts that were lined along her spine. “That’s because your body is becoming much stronger. You can run farther and not even realize it.” He said in a dry tone. After pulling her shirt back down, he walked around to stand in front of her. “Does this mean I’m healed? Perfectly?” She asked with a hopeful tone that she wished hadn’t been there. If she was healed, what would happen? It wasn’t like he would let her just walk out of here with no problem. No, it meant he’d have something new planned for her. 

“You are, yes.” Wesker replied and offered her his hand to help her off the table. This was how their interactions always ended. He helped her down and then marched her back to her comfortable little prison cell. Jill couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen the sun. Her world consisted of her room, the hallway, and then this place. There was no way to know exactly where in the world she was. Hell, they could be miles underground for all she knew. It wasn’t like there were any windows to look out of.

When she was left alone in the room he’d trapped her in, Jill sighed. It had all the basic needs. A bed, a desk, a bathroom. The place was sort of like a hotel room. But that was better than what it could have been. She’d half expected a cement room with a toilet. But during this short time she’d been trapped with Wesker, she’d learned a few things about him that she’d never gathered during the days in Raccoon. One thing was that Wesker seemed far classier than he’d let on. He always dressed in very fine clothes and he spoke differently than he had when he was their Captain. His words were all perfectly accentuated and sometimes she could honestly say she didn’t understand what he was trying to say to her. 

Taking herself into the bathroom, Jill stared at herself. There were obvious differences. Most of the dark bruises were gone and her face finally looked how it used to. Most of the brown had faded out, stripped away by the lack of sun. But she felt better. The months of healing had been grueling and were finally in the past. But what was next? What did Wesker have planned for her? Jill found herself wondering if she’d ever see her loved ones again. The thought brought her mood down to the point that she decided against a shower. Instead, she just shuffled out to her bed and collapsed into it. All she could think about now was the fact that this was probably going to be her life forever.


	7. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are piling up for Jill

“We only need you to review these recordings we seized from Excella’s personal computer. Tell us if you know anything about what is being said.”

Jill stared at the monitor in front of her. It was set to play some vocal recordings that Excella had kept. Apparently she’d been recording all her calls with Wesker. Did she not trust him? Jill had her suspicions about that. At first the woman had been all confidence but as Jill became more involved in Wesker’s work, she seemed to get…jealous. This wasn’t all that surprising. And now the BSAA had a few things they wanted her to figure out. Jill hoped that she could help them but truthfully, Wesker tried to keep her and Excella away from each other. This limited her knowledge on the woman. Even so, she nodded and the Captain hit the play button to start the recordings. Text started across the screen, indicating when Excella was talking and when Wesker was, as if Jill wouldn’t be able to tell.

Excella: We should talk about Edonia.  
Wesker: I’ve told you that there is nothing of concern there.   
Excella: I’m not going to stop asking about this until you give me a straight answer!  
Wesker: I’m not discussing this any further.

The Captain stopped the recording. “Do you know what Excella is referring to?” he asked, staring at her. Jill shook her head. “No.” she answered and for the first time in her life, she lied to a superior. In the past she had told the world that zombies were being created by a reputable corporation without hesitation, knowing it sounded insane. Yet here she sat. She stared the man right in the eye and did not say a single word past that. He watched her and turned his attention back to the screen. With a few clicks, he played another recording.

Wesker: We’re going to have to proceed ahead of schedule. The BSAA has started investigating.  
Excella: I’ll start the preparations. I’ve got that girl here…the one you said could help with the final touches. But I don’t trust her.  
Wesker: (disgruntled sigh) What now?  
Excella: She was on her cell phone, talking quietly. I came up and heard her talking, she said the name Alexander and she mentioned Edonia.  
Wesker: I’ll look into it but I’m sure there is nothing to be concerned about. Just get things moving so that we don’t get interrupted.

Again, he turned to Jill. “We gathered reports about someone involved in Umbrella’s research. He was…” he trailed off and lifted a paper. “…according to paperwork gathered by Agents Redfield and Alomar, he was the head of Project W. Alexander Wesker.” He finished. Jill shook her head. “I heard him mention that he wanted to find Alexander but that’s all.” Another lie. What was she doing? In all her life, Jill could not imagine herself lying like this to protect someone else’s secrets. If her past self could see her now…it was tearing her up inside but she knew that this was the best way. There would only be more pain and bloodshed if she started talking. So she just held her tongue.

When the questions were over and she was allowed to leave, the woman never felt so relieved. Part of her felt like the Captain knew she was holding back. Luckily, he either didn’t see it or he chose to let her go without a fight. As soon as she was outside, Jill sucked in a deep breath and placed a hand over her eyes. She rubbed for a moment before taking her hand away. Wesker was dead and gone but the things he left behind were still at risk. She had to keep them safe. If the BSAA knew the things he’d told her, they would not hold back. That was not something she could risk. The information she carried would die with her, of that she was sure.


	8. Saving a Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What part did Jill play in ensuring the future?

April 4th 2008

Bullets shot past her, barely missing her body as she ran. Jill could see the gunman. He was down the hall, leaning himself and his weapon over the top of a crate. She didn’t hesitate. When he pulled down t reload, she leapt over the box and tackled him. His head hit hard against the concrete, making an almost sickening sound. Jill didn’t wait to see if he was dead before she was on her feet, rushing forward yet again. Her boots beat down hard as she ran. Each foot brought her closer to her goal. Ahead there was a door. It was closed but riddled with bullet holes. That was where she needed to be.

Using her momentum, Jill threw herself forward. She crashed through the door, rolling back to her feet as light followed her into the small building. Several young men were inside. All their eyes went wide when they saw her. Clearly they were alarmed. It was probably the bird mask. But there was no time to explain what she was or where she’d come from. “Move!” She said and pointed towards the door at the back. All the men looked at each other. “If you want to live, get your asses in gear!” She snapped. They all jumped to their feet, holding various weapons to their chests. 

She followed them out, keeping an eye out behind them. Once outside, she ushered them down the alley. There was a turn up ahead. “Right!” She shouted and followed as they all turned. It was like she was a sheep down, guiding her flock. The thought came and went quickly as she continued to lead them through the streets of the broken city. Buildings were crumbling around them, falling in heavy chunks from the large weapons fire and explosions. She recalled seeing a few grenades among the men. Hopefully they knew how to use them.

Finally they reached a dock. Waiting there was a small boat, captained by a stern looking man with skin darker than the churning sea under him. He shouted at them in a language Jill was not familiar with. That didn’t matter though, as she knew he would be here. All the men filed onto the boat, looking worried but relieved all at once. Jill jumped on and the Captain of the boat immediately took off. Taking in a few deep breaths, looking around at the group she’d gotten out. They were all young, most of them looked native to this part of the world. But there were two of them that were clearly not from around here. One had long matted blonde hair tied at the back of his neck. His eyes were green, almost shining in the dimness of their surroundings. He was staring straight down, breathing hard. 

The other was younger, maybe in his teens. His hair was reddish, sticking out at odd angles around his head. He had sharp features and pale blue eyes. Eyes she’d seen a million times. Before she could observe more, one of the other’s spoke. He was speaking a language she didn’t know. “English.” She said simply and he growled, as if frustrated. “Who are you? What have you brought us here for?” he asked, his accent thick. She glanced at the redhead again. “I was sent to get you out…to save your lives.” She answered. They seemed skeptical. “We were on a job! We’ll lose our payday!” the man snapped. Jill rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, you were doing so well; Pinned down with a couple of teenagers.” She said and referred to the redhead and another younger boy who was practically shaking, he was so afraid. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll get paid.” She added and looked out towards the larger ship they were headed towards. It was hidden just around a couple of large rocks jutting out of the ocean. “That ship will take you to the nearest safe docking point. There’s money on board to cover your loss.” She informed them. They were all quiet for the rest of the journey. Once they were on the large ship, the man who seemed to lead the group approached her. “Why?” he asked. It was a simple question but Jill understood completely. “My employer wanted to make sure you all survived. I don’t know why. He sent me here and I don’t ask questions.” She told him. That seemed to be a good enough answer because he then turned away to go collect the cash he’d been promised. 

Seeing the redhead alone, Jill walked over and held out the money that was his cut. He snatched it from her hand and stared out at the black water. She watched him, taking in how very familiar his face was. He was young but she could already see the clean cut lines that were Wesker’s. His jaw and lips were shaped the same and his cheek bones carried high in the same way. But the most obvious resemblance were his eyes. That pale blue was a dead match. At that moment, he seemed to notice her staring. His face turned stern as he faced her. “What?” he asked with a sharpness to his tone.

Carefully, Jill removed her mask, holding it down to her side. “Be careful. There won’t always be someone to help you out of these situations.” She told him. At first, he almost seemed to appreciate her words. But that quickly changed. “I didn’t need help.” He said and looked away. He had more attitude than Wesker, that was for sure. “Just be careful Jake.” She said, revealing that she knew his name. “There are monsters out there.” She said and turned, walking away from his look of confusion.


	9. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill must continue to face the lies.

The day was beautiful. People were all out and about, all enjoying the good weather while it lasted. Summer was starting to taper off and the cooler winds were coming in. The mornings were starting to hold that chill that always meant Autumn was making its way in. The last of the cook outs and swimming parties were being held all over. Those weren’t things that she’d ever really taken part in anyway. Jill had been married to the job for pretty much all of her adult life.

Sitting across from her was Chris. He was eating a burger and staring off out the window with what would appear to be a dazed look on his face. That’s what anyone else would think but not Jill. She knew when the big guy was deep in thought. He was easy to read if you knew him. And the only other person who knew him as well as Jill would have to be Claire. So when he was off his game, she caught it instantly.

“Well, what’s got you so quiet?” she finally asked, not being able to take the silence that had been hanging between them. Chris seemed to think out his words before he said anything to her. “They asked me if you’d withhold information…like they wanted a character review or something.” He said. Chris sounded mad but she couldn’t be sure if it was all at the BSAA or if some of it was possibly aimed at her as well. She hadn’t been entirely open with him either and he must have noticed it by now. Maybe he thought she was holding back things as well…

“There are things I don’t want to talk about Chris but…” She hesitated. Could she really lie to him? To her partner? For now, she was just going to have to. “…but none of them have anything to do with what the BSAA wants to know. Trust me.” It hurt. It really did. Jill hated having to do this. Chris was her best friend, the partner who’d always been there for her. They’d never lied to each other. Everything had been an open book. As much as she hated it though, she’d learned a lot of things from and about Wesker. All that changed her opinion on a lot of things.

Chris stared at her for a minute before nodding. A thin smile came across his face. “Alright. Yeah I’ll tell them they’re being ridiculous.” He assured her and took another bite of his burger. Jill smiled fondly at the man. No matter what, Chris had a way of just letting go when it came to her or any of his friends. He held onto grudges and missions but nothing came between him and the people he was closest to. She kept the smile on her face but inside she was questioning herself. Would Chris be so forgiving if he knew all the things that she was keeping from him? 

She couldn’t keep thinking that way. Jill needed to let those things go. Maybe if she tried to forget she knew them, they’d eventually fade away. It might not actually feel like lying if it went that way. So she finished her meal with Chris and they enjoyed the rest of her day. Jill did all she could to help the BSAA while still maintaining the things she swore to never speak of. After a while, the questions stopped coming and Jill was allowed to return to the physical aspect of her job. Things seemed to be going back to normal.


	10. Basics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill reflects in her own place.

Boxes were piled up in the living room, stacked all around the cheap furniture that was randomly set up. Jill smiled at the space. She smiled because it was all hers. With the new position she’d be receiving at the BSAA, they’d given her a pay advance. And that had allowed her to finally move out of Claire’s house. Of course the other woman had been happy to have her, Jill knew they both needed their own lives again. So here she was. No, it wasn’t as good as her old place but she’d take what she could get.

Carefully moving through the boxes, she walked towards the back where her bedroom was. The bed was already set up, though the rest of the room was barren. She’d never been one to accessorize too much anyway. There were clothes laid out on the bed, things she’d be needing for her job. Picking up one of the tops, she smoothed her fingers over the BSAA logo stitched into the side. She kept forgetting what it looked like. 

With a sigh, she walked over and started hanging the uniforms up in the small closet. Once they were all in a perfect line of order, she shut the door. The mirror that made up the door caught her eye and Jill felt her heart stop. Spinning around, she searched the room. For just a brief second, she’d sworn there had been someone standing behind her in the reflection. Forcing herself to calm down, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. There was no one here but her. She was alone. Maybe that was making her paranoid. 

Fighting away that small fear, Jill went back to the living room and continued to unpack. It wasn’t going to take very long considering she really didn’t have much. Claire had forced her out shopping. That was the only reason there were boxes at all. And of course, Chris had saved some of her things after her ‘death, but not much. Just some sentimental items like the photo of her father. Even if they were small things, she was secretly relieved that he’d manage to store them away.

It brought a warm feeling to her chest, just thinking about it. Over all those years, Chris had not given up on her. He’d kept searching no matter what. The rest of the world considered her dead. She was a closed case. But for Chris, it had never been over. If he had given up…she knew where she’d be. The lead that sent Chris looking for her had lead him to Wesker. The hope of finding his partner resulting in Chris saving the world from the tyrannical man’s dream.

She sucked in a deep breath and frowned. There was so much to work through. The BSAA had offered her a therapist but at the time, she’d turned it down. Now though, she was starting to wonder if she should have taken the time to talk to someone. The lies were piling up and her feelings were only becoming more confused. Bringing a hand up, Jill rubbed her eyes. She was tired. That was it. She was just so tired that her mind was running in circles. A new home meant some time to finally rest and that was just what she was going to do.


	11. Conviction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wesker gives Jill a lesson.

May 12th 2008

Pain shot through her back, as though her spine were splintering. But Jill did not make a sound. She remained silent aside from a grunt that was pushed from her lips. Without a seconds hesitation, she pushed herself from the wall and rushed forward. Her fists were raised, prepared to strike yet again. And when she came close to her target, she swung…only to feel her fist strike only at air.

A hand came up and grabbed her throat. She yelped as she was pulled forward. And then her face was just inches away from his, from Wesker’s. He perked up a brow and shook his head. “You’re not hitting with any conviction.” He said. That same irritation flared up inside of Jill. It came each time they sparred like this. “I can’t hit you! It doesn’t matter how much conviction I have!” she snapped back.

And he laughed. He always laughed. She growled and started to squirm. Wesker dropped her but she recovered and swept her leg out to try and knock him off his feet. But of course, it did not work. He flipped back and was coming right at her again. Moving quickly, Jill rolled to the side and back to her feet. When fighting Wesker, though, there was rarely time to think. Before she could plan her next move, he was there.

The blow landed hard against her chest, knocking her to the ground yet again. She was so angry at both him and herself. He wanted her to fight back but it was so pointless. Each fight ended exactly the same. The man was untouchable. And he knew how to run his damn mouth.

“You’re weak.” He said as he approached her. Jill pushed herself up and glared at him. Her muscles were aching and her body was bruised. “You’re so weak that you had to try and kill yourself just to protect that pathetic partner of yours.” He continued. She hated it when he got into one of these little conversations but he’d never brought up Chris before. She glared at him, wishing he’d just stop. But he kept coming and he kept talking.

“There’s no window here to push me out of, Jill. How would you have won the fight in these conditions? You wouldn’t have.” He said and smirked. “I’ve have choked the life from Chris and then you’d have been next.” Anger was still boiling up inside her as she pushed away from the ground and rushed at him. He still had that bastard smirk on his face when she threw her punch. It landed but only against his upraised arms. He crossed them, taking the force of the hit. It was better than all the lack of progress she’d made before.

Breathing hard, Jill stepped back. Wesker rose as well, uncrossing his arms. His brows seemed to perk up. “That was a good hit. Much more force than usual.” He stated and she scoffed. “Please. You blocked it.” She replied and turned but then paused. Looking down, her eyes went wide. There were two black marks across the floor. They were at least three feet long and lead right to where Wesker was standing. She’d not just hit him…she’d forced him back. 

He stepped forward and placed a finger under her chin, making her look up at him. 

“That…is conviction.” He said with a wide smirk before walking right past her.


	12. Bio-weapons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill receives a mission.

“Bioweapons?” 

Jill stood up and slammed her palms down onto the desk of her superior.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You honestly want to ship me off to fight those monsters again?” she asked with clear shock in her tone. The Captain only stared at her. Sighing, she sat herself down, making sure to appear more calm than she felt inside. He obviously wasn’t kidding about this assignment so there was no reason for her to freak out.   
“You’re one of our best. And according to everything we’ve seen and heard, you’re even better now. I need you to go in with a team and clear out an area that’s been reporting BOW activity. It’s a small village area in Europe. Normally we’d have the cavalry in there but this task force is new. This is your maiden voyage so I suggest you get on board.” 

She let out a breath. Of course. It all made sense now. They made a whole new group just for her skills. Why hadn’t she seen this coming? In the past, BOW treats were treated with top level concern. Dozens of agents would be sent out. If they could do the same job with just a handful of men, it would save so many lives. Jill couldn’t be mad that it had gone this way but that didn’t mean she necessarily had to be happy about it either. This was what she wanted right? Clean up the world, save some lives, and get promoted. 

The details of her mission were simple enough. Drop in and investigate. If BOWs or other treats are discovered, she was to eliminate them. On her own, it would be a task that wouldn’t take any time at all. Unfortunately they wanted her to guide in some of their best agents and start turning them into the type of weapon she’d become. Obviously they didn’t word it like that but it was basically what they were asking of her. But it wasn’t the simple. She’d spent three years with Wesker. He’d started molding her into a well-tuned machine even before she’d recovered from her attempt to take his life along with her own. The ladder wasn’t really on purpose of course.

Keeping other people alive was something Jill hated having on her shoulders. Ever since Raccoon, it was something they all had trouble with. She and Chris partnered up and only ever had to watch their own backs after that. Most of the time, anyway. Now they were both going into command. The people they were leading were counting on them to make all the right calls to get them home at the end of the day. Could she do that? Was she capable of knowing what was going to be best for them all?

These thoughts were heavy on her mind from the moment she received her orders all the way until they were sitting on the chopper heading out. The world was a rush of sound but her mind was clear in its worry. Jill closed her eyes and just listened to the roar of the engine and the thumping sound of the blades spinning overhead. There were four other lives that she was now going to be in charge of. They were all good agents with strong backgrounds. This couldn’t possibly be as terrible as she was making herself believe it was.  
They touched down in a field just outside of the village. It looked like someone had been right in the middle of harvesting whatever it was that was growing there. The plow was laying abandoned not far from where Jill jumped out of the chopper. As her team followed, she moved out and scanned as much as she could from her position. There was farm house at the edge of the field. It was shabby at best but there was no movement around it. 

The sun was fading over the far mountains but there were no lights. The farm house was black, as was everything surrounding it. The deeper the sun sank, the more the shadows crept towards them. As the helicopter rose into the sky, Jill waited. Once it was gone, she signaled for her team to follow. “We check the house for survivors first. After that we sweep the town.” She informed them. A unified chorus of confirmations came and they moved. 

It was a little strange being in charge but Jill kept her mind on the mission. It wasn’t babysitting. These men and women were experienced. They knew how to move as a unit. All she had to do was point them in the right direction and make sure some monster didn’t jump out and tear them to shreds. 

Easy enough.

Marching across the grass, it became clear that something wasn’t right. There was no sound. No animals or insects were calling as you’d expect. There were no car horns or voices. She’d been to small villages like this a million times. They were always full of life. Obviously their intel had been right. Something had cleared this place out. Hopefully the people were just hiding though. Jill didn’t want to consider that they all might be dead already.


	13. Vanishing Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team moves forward.

The front door to the farm house had been open just slightly. Jill pushed it farther open with the barrel of her rifle. Nothing moved as her flashlight spread over the small room just inside. Giving the signal, she stepped back and let Jack and Garret move inside. They swept through the first level with she and Grant took the upstairs. The wood groaned under their feet as they took the stairs carefully. 

There were two small rooms on the second level. Each had a simple bed and dresser. There didn’t seem to be any personal items at all. That almost made her feel better. Maybe the family that lived here had packed up and run when the trouble started. She didn’t want to deal with any casualties at all, let alone this early in the mission. If there had to be bloodshed, she’d prefer it wasn’t in the first twenty minutes. 

“Look here.” 

Jill turned and saw Grant lifting up a cloth of some kind. When she aimed her flashlight over, she felt her heart drop. There was blood all over it. The other woman made a grim face and dropped it back to the ground. “That’s not a good sign.” She muttered. Jill nodded. So much for the hope they’d escaped. “Let’s get back down to the guys. Maybe they found something…more hopeful.” 

When the women descended the stairs, they found the other two agents waiting for them. “There were some suitcases in the kitchen but they were empty. That’s about the only thing out of the ordinary in this place.” Jack said, staring up at them as they came down. Jill nodded and walked past them towards the door. “Let’s move out. The town might have more answers.” She said. Maybe she was being too simple but it was how it was going to work for her. Never get attached. She’d learned that early.

Outside, sunset had finally given way to night. All the rays of gold were gone and they were left only with their flashlights. Overhead, stars were shining. It might have made everything seem serene if there wasn’t the looming feeling that you were being watched or that something could come running for your flesh at any given moment. That was probably a really unhealthy way of looking at things. She made a mental note to have herself evaluated when they got done.

This time Jack took point while Jill took up the rear. It dawned on her that they were Jack and Jill going down a hill. She certainly hoped no one broke their crowns. Inside, she was amused by her own little joke but on the outside, Jill kept her eyes open and her trigger finger ready. Those little jokes were the kind that she could openly share with Chris and not worry about their professionalism but with these people, she just didn’t know. The terrors of a new team. It was basically how she felt during that fateful mission with the S.T.A.R.S. back when things seemed so much easier. If only she’d known.

Suddenly Jack raised his fist, stopping them all in dead silence. He glanced back and motioned towards a car that was sitting on the side of the road. It was a fair distance up but they could make out the brake lights shining eerily. The team moved to the side, just behind the decaying wooden fence. There didn’t seem to be any movement but they were still cautious. Thank god for well-trained agents.

Moving up, Jill got a better look. “Not many cars in this part of the world.” Jack commented, to which Jill nodded. He was right. These people didn’t have cars and if they did, they were usually beat up pickups. The car up ahead was a smaller model. It looked like it had four doors. “We move up, keep low.” She ordered and started moving. The night was still pitch black, making it easy to creep up on the seemingly abandoned vehicle.

Around the car, there was just a small pool of light coming from the front and back. They could now hear a soft ‘dinging’ sound that appeared to be coming from the open door. After doing a quick sweep, Jill determined there was no immediate threat so they moved in. The vehicle was just as she thought; much too nice for this place. It was a sedan, complete with perfect white seats. The door was hanging open but there didn’t seem to be any sign of violence or foul play of any kind. That just made things worse. At least a little fight scene would make it easier to understand. This car just looked like the people up and walked away. 

“What the hell is going on?” Garret asked, leaning against the hood.

Jill wished she had an answer.

“I don’t know. They sent us in for BOWs but I haven’t seen a single thing…not even birds or bugs.” She said, the last part more of a musing to herself. The lack of wildlife was a sign that something was wrong. She could still remember how silent the forest had been before those beastly decaying dogs had lunged at them. Where were all the people? All the wild life? 

Before she could make another move, there was a scream.


	14. Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's lurking in this town?

The scream was distant but it cut through the air like a blade. They all feel perfectly still as it faded off and ended. Jill motioned forward and then they were on the move. The team didn’t have to be told twice. If someone was alive, they needed to try and keep them that way. But she was a realist. That person was screaming. It probably meant they were already dead. The monster would still be there, though. They’d have their chance to see what they were up against, finally.

Less than a minute down the road, houses began to appear. They were all shabby like the farm with black windows to match. At first, Jill became frustrated at the lack of movement yet again, however it did not last. A few meters down the center road, a woman ran out. She was stumbling over herself to escape some yet unseen pursuer. The look on her face was one of pure terror. 

Even though it was dark, the woman saw them and suddenly she was running in their direction. Words were flowing fast from her mouth but the language was one that none of them seemed to know. She threw herself forward and grabbed ahold of Grant. She pleaded but the female agent couldn’t understand a word she was saying. 

“Lady! I can’t understand you! Calm down! English?” She tried but none of her words seemed to even reach the woman in front of her. 

Spinning around, the woman pointed desperately at the house she’d just fled from. Without warning, she let go of Grant and took off down the road. “Let her go.” Jill called and turned towards the house. Hopefully the woman would be alright on her own for a while. They couldn’t risk ignoring a monster to save one person. Jill almost laughed at her thought. Chris would kill her for thinking something like that. It was a little bit of Wesker rubbing off on her. He was always about the many over the one…at least that’s what he preached, anyway.

All four of them held still, guns raised and ready for anything. Seconds ticked by, dragging slower and slower until she could barely take it anymore. Stepping back, she motioned for two of them to take to the buildings just to their left. They had small openings on the second floor. That would provide them with a little high ground, assuming the buildings were clear. Left with Garret, Jill moved slowly towards the open door. 

It was totally black inside, revealing nothing of the menace they might be facing. At this point she was fairly sure that none of them even cared how awful it might turn out, they were just sick of waiting. Reaching down to her side, Jill grabbed one of the flares that was stabbed there. Garret kept his gun at the ready while she lowered hers. There was a clean snap in the air as she cracked the stick to life. Red flight surrounded her before she tossed it into the doorway. 

For a few seconds, the only thing they could see were floor boards. The light gave way to nothing but empty space. With her gun now up again, Jill held her breath. She could feel it. Something was inside that house, just beyond the reach of her flare. Patience had been something Wesker hated. He’d told her on more than one occasion that it was his greatest weakness. He always wanted to rush into everything but he’d forced himself to always wait. And it was something he’d passed onto her. The greatest rewards came from patience. Of course, she doubted anything good was going to come out of this no matter what she did.


	15. Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The monster is revealed.

The air was so tense, Jill thought it might crush them all under its weight. She could feel the eyes of her team on the door just as hers were. It reminded her of some bad horror movie she’d watch in the middle of the night. All the stupid teens would be standing around, waiting to die. The blonde always seemed to have it coming first. But there was a big difference. They weren’t dumb teenagers. They were trained soldiers and agents. They’d spent most of their lives fighting against monsters and people who could be just as dangerous. 

There was a shuffling inside the house that ripped her from her musing. Something was coming out. A wet sound began to echo from the space as well. It was like something moist slapping against the floor. A sick feeling curled up in the woman’s stomach as she waited. Nothing wet was ever good. That was another fun lesson she’d learned from Umbrella. Sound could tell you a lot.

Finally, they saw it. Slowly creeping out from somewhere in the dark, they came; Smooth black tendrils of flesh. They slithered across the wood before coming out and gripping the edges of the low porch. Garret took aim but she held up her hand. They didn’t need to be wasting ammo on something like that. These tentacles were coming from somewhere else. The big threat hadn’t shown its face yet. The other agent lowered his weapon some but neither of them took their eyes off the pulsing appendages that were just a few feet away.

“Hold…” She said just loud enough for her team to hear. 

They would all be getting jumpy but they needed to wait. Ammo needed to be conserved for whatever might be slithering its way out of that hole. Headshot…chest shot. Jill went over the possible kill locations this thing might have. Maybe it would have one of those perfectly obvious weak points that she could exploit. Umbrella had always been good about making most of their monsters pop out that bright and shiny death button. 

“Jill!” came Jack’s voice from overhead. She shook herself mentally and refocused. 

The light from the flare was blocked now. Something was standing in front of it. It didn’t look big. In fact it seemed very small. She kept her weapon up all the same. Small things could be even more deadly than the giants. As the thing came closer to the door, she braced herself. No one moved or spoke. They all merely waited for whatever it was…  
“What the fuck?” Grant asked as the monster was revealed.

Out from the house walked a child. A little girl. But she wasn’t just a little girl. With one hand, she rubbed her tear filled eyes. With the other hand…well there was no other hand. Her arm was torn to shreds by the tentacles they saw. The long black cords were slowly pulling back, retracting into her body. Within another few seconds, they were gone and her blood soaked arm and hand were all that remained. Soon, even the blood was vanishing. 

No one spoke. They were all in shock. Even their guns had lowered some. Human BOWs were far from unheard of but she’d never come up against one like this. This little girl couldn’t be more than two years old. The people who did this sort of thing always infected towns of mostly adults. Chris had explained to her once that it was believed children couldn’t survive the changes a virus like that made on their bodies. In some ways, they’d been thankful for that. Having to shoot a child…no one wanted that.


	16. Little One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reveal is handled.

“No one shoot!” Jill snapped to her team. 

They all stared at her with wide and almost furious eyes. “What is this bullshit?” Jack asked as he came down from his perch and approached her. Grant and Garret kept their weapons trained on the child as the other two spoke. “This is the first active child BOW we’ve found. This could mean an entirely new infection. We don’t know anything about the situation!” 

She shouted back. Behind her, she heard the little girl sniffling and starting to cry. “Boss…”

Jill turned around and saw that as the girl got more upset, whatever was in her body was starting to react. Her skill looked like it was moving, bubbling almost. Without thinking, Jill lowered her gun and started walking over. She held her hands up and smiled. “Heey…” she said and slowed down as the child looked up at her with sharp red eyes. “My name is Jill…are you okay?” She asked in a soft voice. The sneers and other sounds of disapproval from behind her were obvious but she ignored them. 

The child stared at her, obviously cautious of a stranger. She acted so normal. It was strange…but then again, she didn’t do this to herself. She was just a victim. The smart thing to do would be to take her down now but Jill just couldn’t bring herself to do it. This little girl didn’t choose this…how could they just mow her down for it? 

“Shh.” She said and knelt down in front of the small child. “It’s going to be okay.” She continued and gently placed her hand on the girl’s tiny arm. She felt the stirring under the girl’s skin. Under her touch, it started to calm and soon enough, it stopped altogether. Once she seemed calm enough, Jill looked back at the others. “We have to contain her and get her back to base.” She said in a low tone. They all looked concerned but no one said anything. Jill was in charge, at least they remembered that.

“So what’s the plan?” Garret asked. 

Jill took in a deep breath and brought her gaze back to the child who was staring at her with wide blue eyes. “Make the call. Get a team down here.” She ordered. There was a shuffle as someone moved away to contact HQ. Refocusing on the child, Jill wasn’t sure what to do. She wasn’t worried about infection for herself but it was best not to touch the child more than she had. Unfortunately that choice was taken from her just seconds later. The child moved forward and wrapped her tiny arms around Chills neck in a tight embrace. 

The sounds of guns was back. Everyone was aimed at the child. But Jill held up her hands, letting them know that she was okay. Carefully, she patted the child’s back and whispered reassuring words to her. She’d never been much of a kid person but the fear in that girls eyes touched her somewhere deep down. It was probably going to be hard on here once the BSAA got a team to extract her. This might be the last show of affection she would receive.


	17. A Move Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill finally gets a small victory.

April 6th 2008

Punch after punch landed against the rough material of the bag hanging in front of her. Jill kept moving, kept her body in motion. Even against something that wasn’t going to attack her, she knew the drill. Her fists continued to slam forward, jerking the bag against the chains that were holding it. The sound echoed in the large open space, reminding her that she wasn’t at some gym. She was in a massive underground training area, created specifically for Wesker and Excella’s monsters. She got to use it as well since she might as well be one of them too.

The subtle sound of boots behind her didn’t make her turn. If Wesker was testing her, he’d have been silent. Seconds later he was walking around into her field of vision, his phone in hand. It seemed to be taking up all of his attention so she continued her exercises without a word. Time passed on with him just standing there. Eventually she couldn’t take it anymore. Why was he just standing there with his nose to his phone? Dropping her hands to her hips, Jill perked up a brow. 

“What are you doing?” She asked.

Wesker glanced up at her and gave her a dismissive shrug. She hated when he did that. There were times when he acted as though the entire world was more important than giving her a moment of his time. And then other times, he complete ignored everything to give her all his attention. Sometimes she swore this man was bipolar or something. Huffing as obviously as she could, Jill slammed her fist into the bag harder than before. It jerked against the chains, almost as if it were going to snap this time.   
Wesker finally looked up. There was a look of amusement on his face that she wasn’t sure she liked. He tucked his phone into his pocket and crossed his arms over his chest. That was his default position and she hated it. He seemed so condescending when he did it. It always put her in a bad mood. Glaring at him, she crossed her own arms over her chest. 

After a few seconds, he laughed. 

“Something wrong?” He asked. 

“Oh you mean aside from you just standing around like a statue with that little phone of yours? Nope, nothing.” She snapped back. 

Why was this bothering her so much? The guy was a world class asshole and she knew it. She’d always known it. Sometimes the little things he did just annoyed her more than usual. It never ended well for her to say anything about it though. Normally she kept her mouth shut and played the game how he set it up for her. This time though, she really was just looking for a fight. Maybe it was because of how much Excella had been coming down on her or perhaps it was simply because she’d been his prisoner for so long. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter much. She just wanted to piss him off as much as he did her. 

“Fight me.” She said in a stern tone. 

Wesker seemed even more amused but she’d expected that. He generally saw her as some form of entertainment. He lifted his arm and checked his watch. Apparently she was wasting his time?

“I have a meeting soon. I supposed I could find a little time before hand to put you down.” He replied. 

It was totally casual, as if she were no threat at all. Maybe that was the issue. Jill hated being nothing when it came to their sparring. He always won and never gave her an inch. That anger had been building and she could finally feel it starting to boil over. She wanted more than anything to be able to just beat his ass into the ground. Reality told her that she wouldn’t be able to do that…but if she could only keep up…That would be enough. 

Without saying a word, she threw a punch aimed for that smug face. As she expected, he caught her fist with ease. Not giving him a second, she pushed forward and attempted to land a kick against his stomach. Once again, it was blocked with no problem at all from her opponent. He used his hold on her hand to twist her around. Jill grunted as her back was forced against his chest. There was a chuckle against her ear that pulled that anger up even higher. 

Bringing her elbow up, she slammed it back. This time her blow connected and she felt him flinch. Not hesitating, Jill turned and swept her legs across his. It was almost in slow motion that she watched him fall to the ground. The second his back hit, she was there. She jumped on him and pressed her knees against his arms to keep them down. There was a small burst of joy in her chest as she stared down at him. Finally, she’d made a real move against him.

Staring down at her own reflection in his shades, Jill grinned wide. She felt like she was on top of the world. It ended pretty quick, though. Wesker pushed up, completely breaking her hold. Jill fell backwards with a yelp. Her back hit the ground between his legs. He grabbed both her wrists and pinned them to her own stomach. There was a very irritating smirk on his face. The moment of joy had been ripped away from her. 

“Feel better?” he asked.

Jill looked away. She hated this. She hated it so much. Why did he always have to win?


	18. Unstable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill finds out that her captor isn't the pillar of strength that she thought he was.

April 12th 2008

“Jesus!” 

Jill sat up, rubbing her back. Once again, she’d been flipped onto her backside by Wesker. It was like the guy liked seeing her that way. She internally rolled her eyes and reminded herself to never think that again as she pushed back up into a standing position. The man was still standing a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t have that normal smirk today. No, today there was something else going on. 

Wesker wasn’t being…Wesker. Back in STARS, he’d been all business with a few witty snaps here and there. During the mansion incident he’d seemed completely insane. But when she was taken by him, she’d seen an entirely new side. This was the side she felt was really him. There was no way to really be sure though. However, he was acting strange. All his playful banter about how terrible she was had vanished and instead was left with either stony silence or mean comments.

When he met her for their usually training, he wasn’t dressed in his normal expensive looking carbon fiber suit thing. She really didn’t know what it was but it was probably some military grade ninja suit. No, instead he had shown up in a pair of black sweats and a matching muscle shirt. She liked the change at first. It made him seem human again. It was like their training back in STARS. He’d always dressed so casual when they weren’t in uniform. No gloves, no watches. He was just a guy again.

But his demeanor changed her opinion fast. He didn’t tease her or bait her. Instead he just made her fight him. And it was grueling. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get a step ahead. He blocked every punch and returned each move. There was anger in his movements and though she’d asked, Wesker didn’t give her a single answer. He kept everything silent and it was killing her. She wanted to know what was going on.

“Can you ease up?” She asked and took a fighting stance again, making herself ready for the next round.

Wesker shook his head and ran at her. He threw a series of punches that she just barely managed to block. Her feet slid backwards, being pushed by the force of his attack. Eventually she stumbled and would have fallen except that her back slammed harshly against the wall. It was shocking to see that he’d pushed her from the center of the room to the wall. Jill’s eyes widened as he pulled back a punch. She raised her arms to protect herself but the swing didn’t come.

“If I ease up on you, you’ll never learn!” He shouted in her face. 

She lowered her arms and stared at him.

“You would have died if I fought you like this at the estate. I would have ripped you apart because you are weak and you expect people to go easy on you. I did. I went easy on you both. I won’t make that mistake again and you should know that there are much scarier things in this world than the monsters you have already seen.” He continued.

Jill just watched him. Where was this coming from? He was acting like he was teaching her to survive a war or something. She swallowed hard and kept herself pressed flat against the wall at her back. Whatever he was doing, clearly it was affecting him. That cool front he always kept up had faltered and she was seeing inside the man. Again she thought about him being human. He wasn’t some untouchable god, just a man. 

Without really thinking about it, Jill reached up and pressed her hand to his forehead. Wesker almost seemed surprised but he did not move. His head was hot, incredibly so. It was like he had a fever. That could explain why he was acting the way he was. She brought her hand down and touched his cheek. It was then that she noticed his body seemed flushed. His face and chest were red and he was actually sweating. That was something that she hadn’t seen before. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked and pulled her hand away. “You’re on fire…” she added.

He stepped away from her and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked surprised and confused. Jill took a few steps towards him but he moved away from her. Without saying a word, he walked out of the room. She quickly followed him, curiosity getting the better of her. At least, that’s what she told herself it was. Soon they were back in the lab where he always tested her. 

Wesker started digging through drawers but he didn’t seem to be finding what he was looking for. Jill stood in the doorway and watched. She was confused and didn’t know what to but she wanted to help. Maybe it was because she was afraid of what he could do in this state or maybe it was something else, something she didn’t feel like addressing. 

“What are you looking for?” She finally asked and went to his side. “I can help you.”

“A syringe. White, red fluid.” He said without hesitation.

She moved away and started looking around. The lab was always very clean so there wasn’t anything out that she’d need to dig though. Wesker was tearing the place apart behind her so it was probably best that she find whatever he wanted soon. Moving to his desk, she jerked open every drawer but still found nothing. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked around. Syringes didn’t seem like the kind of thing you just left lying around. 

Looking down, she saw his jacket draped over the back of the chair. Grabbing it, she dug her hands into each pocket until her fingers met something smooth and cool. From the pocket she pulled out a silver case. It was only a few inches long but plenty big enough to be hiding what she was looking for. Tossing the jacket back down, she walked over and touched his arm.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” She asked him.

Wesker snatched it from her without saying anything. He popped it open, revealing two small syringes. Neither of them looked like anything she would recognize. Taking one into his hand, Wesker brought it down and jammed it into his arm. The red fluid inside drained into his body. When it was finished, he let it drop to the counter and sucked in a deep breath. Jill watched as he just stood there. She was waiting to see what would happen next. What was he injecting into himself now. 

Slowly, he closed the case and walked over to his desk. He dropped into the chair and took his sunglasses. Jill remained perfectly still for just a second before she turned around and shut the case. Picking it up, she walked it over and set it on the desk in front of him. He opened his eyes and looked down at it. That was when she really got a look at his eyes. 

They were a bright and blazing orange. It was like looking into a flame. Standing there, she didn’t realize just how mesmerized she’d become. Wesker perked up a brow and she looked away, sure that she now looked foolish. It was just hard to look away from something like that. It wasn’t like she saw eyes like that every single day. Memories of the night at the estate were hazy at best. She knew his eyes weren’t normal from then and recently but to see them so close…

“Thank you.”

The words brought her attention back to full alert. Did he just thank her? Jill stared at him with her mouth hanging open for just a second before she cleared her throat.  
“You’re welcome….what is it?” She asked before she could stop herself.

Wesker picked up the case and held it up. Orange eyes looked it over as if he were thinking deeply before answering her question.

“It’s a serum developed by Tricell.” He said simply at first. “It helps to…balance things.” He continued and looked at her. 

There were a lot of ways she could take that. It probably wasn’t going to have anything to do with his mind. As bi-polar as he’d been earlier, it would just be easier to take a pill. This had to have something to do with his eyes and what he might have injected into himself. She remembered Chris telling her all about his abilities on Rockfort and of course she’d seen the way he moved that night. His speed was something she’d never experienced before. If he needed balanced, that meant he wasn’t stable. 

Mr. Perfect wasn’t so perfect after all.

“Are you okay?” 

He nodded and smirked. 

“I’ll be just fine now.”


	19. Unfortunate Endings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to come to terms with the rules in this world.

After the child had been extracted, the mission didn’t go much farther. There were supposed to be BOWs all over but they didn’t find anything but dead bodies. It was presumed that the bodies came from the child but Jill wasn’t as sure as her team. Unfortunately they couldn’t find anything else to prove her doubts right. So they cleansed the bodies they found to be safe and moved out. Everyone was calling it a success but her. She just didn’t see it.

Back at base, Jill sat outside the Director’s office. She wanted to know what was going to happen to that kid but so far, she was just waiting. This was probably some attempt to get her to just get fed up and walk away. That wasn’t going to happen. She’d sit there all day and all night if she had to in order to get her answers. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something like this. 

Finally, the door opened. The Director of the science division was standing there. He had a smile on but she could see the irritation in his eyes. 

“Ms. Valentine.” She said and gestured her inside. 

“Mr. Cooper.” She replied and went to take a seat in front of his desk.

“I was told you have some concerns about the BOW that was just brought in.”

Jill squared her shoulders and nodded. 

“I want to know what’s going to happen to that little girl.” She said quickly.

The man sighed and sat down. He crossed his arms on the surface of the desk and started at her. His eyes might have seemed sympathetic but she wasn’t being fooled for a second. He didn’t want to be having this conversation with her. He probably just wanted to kill that child and move on. Part of her knew that it would be better that way. It was the safest route since the child could potentially infect them all. She knew how things worked. The viruses Umbrella created and all those that came after needed to be eliminated. 

“We are currently evaluating her infection.” He answered but it was just a block. He didn’t mention what was going to be done after but she already knew. 

“Does she have to die?” she asked.

“There are no longer any cures known for the viruses we’re battling. You know that. We can’t allow her to leave this facility alive. She will be kept alive for testing and then she will be put down humanely, I assure you.” 

Now that, she believed. The BSAA was good at taking monsters out. But she didn’t see the kid as one of those. For some reason, she felt like the child wasn’t as bad as everyone else thought she was. What was she supposed to do, though? There was no options here. The girl was going to die because there was no cure…not anymore. And they didn’t even know what she had yet. But even if a cure were discovered, they wouldn’t let her go. She’d possibly killed all those people and even a child couldn’t escape the consequences of that kind of crime.

“Can I see her?” 

The Director looked confused.

“Why?” he asked.

“I don’t want her to be afraid. If you’re being humane, then let her be comfortable.” She offered. 

He seemed to be thinking it over for a while. Eventually he nodded. 

“Alright. Tomorrow I’ll send for you.” 

That was more than good enough for her. Jill didn’t know why this was so important to her but it was. It had been eating at her from the moment she watched the child vanish into the skin in that chopper. She tried to forget about it but she couldn’t. Tomorrow she’d see the little girl and hopefully help to ease her life away. It was depressing just to think about but that was how it had to be. She was dangerous. That much was obvious to everyone including Jill.


	20. A Chorus of Disagreements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill returns to another memory of her past, grasping at things that might explain her future. Everything she feels, the lies she has told, it all comes back to the years she spent with the monster known as Albert Wesker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long while since I updated this story! I receive Kudos on it all the time so I went back through and read it. I found myself getting caught up in the story and when I reached the end, I was so disappointed. I realized I must have made other people feel that was as well. So here is chapter 20! I hope that it fills the void and serves as a good opening for chapters to come!

April 23rd 2008

"You what!?"

Excella's shrill voice echoed through the room. Her dark eyes were practically bulging behind her fake lashes. Jill could see the veins pulsing in the sides of her head and neck. If she hadn't been so sure the woman would snap and attack her, she might have actually laughed at the scene. Wesker sat at his desk, dressed in one of his normal dark suits. His gloved hands were clasped together under his chin and he stared across the wood surface at the woman before him. His demeanor was calm and just as natural as always, even in the face of this woman's obvious rage. Behind him, Jill stood. Her own hands were locked behind her back. She wore a black dress. It was clinging to her shape much more than she was comfortable with but arguing about it wasn't going to fix anything. In this place, she did what she was told. Occasionally she fought back but now didn't seem like the time. Plus the look on Excella's face upon seeing her dressed up made every bit of it worth the uncomfortable feeling.

"I cannot believe you're serious. This little..." She looked Jill up and down. "...toy...of yours. You can't really expect me to believe you're rewarding her with this event. I thought we could go together, Albert. Am I being punished? Have I not been good enough to you, my love?" She asked with her plush lips falling into a pout. She was trying to be cute but as usual, Wesker did not fall into that obvious trap.

"Excella, my dear." He started, remaining in the same position without reacting to her showing off. "Ms. Valentine has been working very hard and managed to assist me with something...very important. I thing it would be good to let her join me tonight."

His explanation didn't seem to make her happy but she always gave into him. The woman was ridiculous in her pursuit of a man who clearly did not want her.

"Like giving a dog a treat for sitting on command?" She asked, nodding to herself. 

Jill narrowed her eyes but kept her mouth shut. Though Wesker had chosen to keep most of his more intimate dealings and plans from her, the former BSAA agent was no fool. It was easy to see what this relationship really was. Excella had money and power. Her family and company were funding everything the shaded man wanted to accomplish. In order to keep his control over he, he let her indulge in her fantasy for them. It was a gross abuse of affection but he was a manipulative person. She was either too in love or too dense to see what was really happening to her. As a woman so clearly used to getting what she wanted all the time, it probably wouldn't even compute for her to think he didn't actually want her in return. It wasn't the first time Jill had seen men using women in such a way. It was deplorable and it made her sick. Luckily, Excella was an easy person to hate and it kept her from saying a word to the other woman. Doing so would probably get her killed.

The event that the rich brat was so upset about was some sort of dinner...or meeting. She wasn't quite sure to be honest. Wesker had awoken her early, informed her that she needed to get cleaned up and dressed. When she got out of the shower she found the dress, a nice pair of heels, and some other matching items were waiting. It was clear what he'd wanted her to do with them. The entire time she got dressed, Jill had complained out loud. She hadn't worn heels in years, even before her plunge over that cliff. What the hell could he have possibly wanted her in this for? She entertained thoughts of him wanting her to train in heels for espionage missions like in the old movies. A whole fantasy of spy work crossed her mind but it was all shut out quickly by his description of their destination and then by the other female's reaction to him choosing to take her instead.

"Exactly. So don't be too upset. We have to be nice to the help every now and again." Wesker explained. 

It took everything Jill had not to slap the back of his head. Of course, he'd probably dodge that too. Slick bastard.

The man stood up, walking past Jill. He pulled the jet black suit jacket off the hook on the wall and put it on. Excella watched, her lower lip still slightly sticking out as she watched him. He adjusted his watch, smoothed his hair back and then turned to face her. The look of uncaring indifference was completely lost to Excella. She had no idea how much he loathed her. Though it was never said, even Jill could see that.

"We'll be returning late so please, return to your home. I don't want to think of you waiting up for me and being unhappy." He purred in a tone that was low enough to melt the woman. She smiled wide and nodded. A brush of her fingers against his face was all she gave before walking out, hips swinging all the way. 

When the door shut, Jill made a noise. 

"Are you taking me just to piss her off?" The blonde asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Because I really don't want to go. You could find other ways to do that." 

He laughed. Turning around, he approached her. Wesker took a moment to touch her hair. He pulled the long slightly curled strands around and let it all rest over her shoulders. 

"It's not just to upset her but that certainly was a plus. No, I felt like seeing how you operate around people again. I want to widen your range of abilities. I fear keeping you locked up in here might diminish your social skills. Those can be invaluable in certain situations." 

So it was as she'd thought. He wanted to make her into a pretty weapon. The thought forced a sigh from her lips as she stared up at him. He'd brought up her helping him before with his injection though. Maybe this was a little bit of a reward as well. It would be nice to think he saw it that way. It meant she was worth something and not just a plaything or dagger to him. While it was a foolish thing to be concerned about, Jill could not help it. She needed to cling to each little bit of humanity she found in her captor. Wesker was a dangerous man. She didn't trust him but seeing him as human made him easier to deal with. When he got on her nerves now, she liked to picture him in his work out clothes, sweating and breathing hard like anyone else. He'd been more human then than any other time and it was locked in her minds tightest vault.

"Come along."

His words jerked her from her thoughts and made her realize he'd gone to the door and was holding it open for her. Jill placed a hand over her stomach to settle it before she walked past. Outside the base she'd grown to know as her home, a helicopter was waiting. It wasn't the military kind that had been used to fly her to assignments. No this one was nice. Inside was all white and leather. The sound of the engines was much quieter and there were even drinks. She carefully climbed in, which wasn't as easy as she'd hoped because of the damned dress she'd been made to wear. Once in her seat, she was joined by Wesker. He sat across from her and immediately started staring down at his phone. This was the majority of their trip. Jill stared out the window while he did who knows what on that little device of his. She'd never been much of a cell phone person so the appeal was kind of lost on her.

The flight wasn't very long but they'd crossed a large body of water. She found that she actually had no idea where they were. The ground was dark below them, giving no indication of landscape or architecture. It crossed her mind to just ask but he probably wouldn't tell her even if she did. For missions, Wesker had placed that horrible injection device onto her chest. It made sure she could not escape while free from the base. This time though, he'd let her go without it. It would have ruined the dress, as he put it. That meant that if she wanted, Jill could bolt the second her feet hit the ground. Why would he trust her like this? Was it a test to see if she'd try to escape? Should she try to escape. The thoughts built up in her, creating a whole new anxiety from before. It must have been obvious as the chopper touched down before Wesker put his phone away and leaned forward. 

"Relax. It's just a party." He said over the sound of the engine when the door slid open. 

He moved out first, straightening out his suit when he was up straight again. Jill stood in the doorway, staring down at the treacherous steps below her. Even with how strong and agile she had become, these things were going to end up breaking her ankle or worse, making her fall and look like an idiot. Before she could attempt the descent, Wesker was there. He gripped the handle of the door with one hand and wrapped his other arm firmly around her waist. Her body was pinned against his own, arms wrapping around his neck. She'd had no time to complain as he carefully lifted her to the ground below. Now thoroughly flustered and embarrassed, Jill pushed away from him and smoothed her dress out. She muttered a curse at him under her breath and turned around. All the irritation drained away as she stared at the sight before her. A massive white building was there, lit up like some stage display. It was very lovely and so over the top that it almost made her laugh.

"You have got to be kidding me."


	21. Once STARS...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The memory of Jill's brief freedom continues.

April 23rd 2008

This wasn't what she'd ever thought it would be. This looked like something out of movie. There were people everywhere. They were dressed in nice suits and dresses, decked in jewels no watches that probably cost more than everything she had ever owned in her entire life. Among them, Jill felt like a child. She was happy to not be a stuck up snob but it was a little awkward for her now. These women were gorgeous and flashy. She was...average? Her dress simple but elegant. At least she thought so. Wesker had taste for things like this. His own suit was in various shades of black, looking like it too cost more than she could imagine. And she didn't want to guess at how much that silver watch on his wrist cost.

The worries that plagued her mind were making her stiff and it seemed to show. Wesker took her arm, gently tucking her hand into the fold of his own arm. 

"Relax. You're not here on some mission. Your only job is to look beautiful on my arm." He informed her in a hushed voice. 

Jill glared over at him but she was a little flattered. Excella would have been a better option for this though, surely. She was a social butterfly and used to events like this. Why would he choice to bring Jill over her? If he was trying to make some kind of impression, this was a strange way of doing it. Maybe it was best to just wait it out and see. That would be the smart thing to do but Jill wasn't known for such things. She wanted to know exactly what was going on. Thus far she still had no idea what this event was even for. Did rich people just have parties for now real reason at all? That was how those terrible day time television shows always went wasn't it? But Wesker didn't seem the type to attend things like that. If he was here, there was a reason for it. Hopefully it was nothing that involved her getting bloody. 

"What are we really doing here, Wesker?" She asked, keeping her face with the hint of a smile on it like the other women seemed to be doing. "I know you. You're not a party guy. What's here that you want."

He was quiet for a while before finally guiding her over to a table at the back where many sparkling glasses were set up. Picking one up, he handed it to her before picking one up for himself. Together they stood there, looking out over the sea of older faces and uptight expressions. She waited. Sometimes he did this. He was weighing his words in his mind before speaking. It was something she could remember him trying to teach Chris and Joseph. They hadn't really taken that lesson on well.

"Do you see all these people? They are here to try and raise money for the people here in Africa." The tone of voice said more than his words did. "They don't care about anything but looking good here, looking like they care. They are weak. They wouldn't survive change in this world." He continued, now lifting the glass to his lips. 

Jill watched him for a moment, taking in the expression he now wore. It was clear that he didn't come here for anything good. A sinking feeling started in the pit of her stomach. He wasn't going to kill them all, was he? Or worse...would he make her do it? Jill looked at them all. While she might not like their attitude, she didn't want to take their lives. They might be parents or grandparents. They were important to someone and that mattered to her. Things like that never seemed to matter to the man at her side though. He cared little for such sentimentalities.

"But we're just here to escape the labs for now." He added in a much lighter tone. "I thought it might be healthy for us both. Being cooped up isn't good for anyone." 

This words lingered in her mind but relief did wash over her. He wasn't going to kill them all. At least, it didn't seem like it. Lifting the glass, she downed the champagne. It was set aside and quickly replaced by another. There was no intention of getting drunk, mostly because she didn't trust herself or Wesker. He'd probably let her make a complete fool of herself in front of all these people. The asshole would laugh too.

They remained there, drinking at the table. The strange harsh topic changed and soon Wesker was pointing out various people to her and naming off their flaws or scandalous things they'd been apart of. Without realizing it, Jill was laughing and actually enjoying her time. She covered her mouth to contain the sudden burst of giggles that erupted after another of his little stories about a large woman who walked by. People turned to stare at her so she turned, hiding her face towards the table. Wesker had a grin on his face that made it all the worse. 

"I'm not making it up. You should have heard the way her husband described all the pudding on her ass." He said. His voice was so casual, it only made her laugh harder. "The dimples, Albert. You should have seen them!" He said, gesturing with his arms as if he was the man telling the original story. It took everything she had not to spit her drink onto the table. 

"Stop stop!" Jill said, batting at his arm. It was too easy to be playful in that moment and she had to remind herself who it was that she was with. "You're making me look stupid." She hissed out, using a napkin to dab at her mouth. 

Wesker turned around and got himself a fresh glass. Between the two of them, they had put back quite a few of these little champagne glasses. Of course Wesker seemed far less effected. That was no surprise. The blonde tucked back a strand of hair and cleared her throat. Just as she turned around, she found another woman was walking towards them. Her hair was vibrant red, matching her lipstick. Her dress was gold and far tighter than it had any business being. Oh and her eyes were on Wesker like a predator. Glancing over, she wondered if it was someone he knew.

"Oh my, what have we here?" She asked in a sultry voice. It was like a bad pick up line from the villains sexy side kick in some old movie. "You look like you could use a dance to keep you awake." She told him, her green gaze flashing to Jill for a moment. 

The man between them set his drink down and stared at her.

"I think I'm fine exactly where I'm at. You can find someone else, I'm sure." He said, actually sort of polite about letting her down. She was surprised. 

"Aw come on darling. Who knows, you might enjoy yourself. This little corner you're in doesn't seem very exciting." 

Jill could see the agitation starting to show on his face. While she'd have loved to see this cheap woman get a tongue lashing from Wesker, she decided to step in.

"Albert, do tell this sweet young thing that you've got prior plans to dance with your wife." She said in the best snobby, uptight, better than you voice she could muster up. Of course she made sure to look down her nose at the other woman as she spoke. "I'm sure she'll understand." She added and wrapped her arms around his, pressing her body fully against his side. 

The man himself didn't hesitate to roll into the moment with her. He pulled his arm free and instead wrapped it round her body, pulling her even closer. 

"I believe you heard the lady." He said and gestured Jill forward with him towards the dance floor. 

She didn't expect to actually have to dance but whatever. She was pretty proud of the look left on that woman's face. Now though, she had to dance among all these other people and it was a little intimidating. But the alcohol in her veins was giving her a little more confidence. So as Wesker took her hand and waist, the blonde did not protest. She clung to him in traditional fashion, trying to find the beat but he was quick to lead her. 

It was completely rediculous that they were doing this. For so long long, he'd been teaching her to fight and to handle any situation. Because of their constant sparring, she wasn't put off by their close proximity. They were always touching during their fights. She tried to think of this as being no different. But it was hard to keep that in mind when she was moving so oddly elegantly across the dance floor with a man who had always been the number one enemy. It sort of felt like a betrayal. If Chris saw her now...

"Try to look happy." Wesker whispered. It was an order but it almost sounded nice. Like maybe he cared. "I appreciate you stepping in. Turning down these women can get messy at times." He said with a grimace.

Jill laughed it off and kept her gaze away from the reflection of his shades. It wasn't even weird to her that he was wearing them inside at night, not anymore. 

"I just didn't feel like being insulted like that. Clearly I'm your date!"


	22. Little Black Dresses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things will never hold the same meaning for Jill now. Something as simple as window shopping can bring up pain she had hoped to forget.

Pale eyes stared up at the shop in front of her. Jill had been going to get coffee when she found the line of little stores along the way. The new neighborhood was always showing her things she'd missed and this was one of them. Today though, it wasn't a good thing. Behind the glass was a black dress. It was almost exactly the same as the one she'd worn while with Wesker so long ago. Truthfully it wasn't that long but it felt like an entire lifetime had passed since then. Seeing this simple piece of clothing now brought her to that moment and it hurt. She closed her eyes and sucked in a slow breath. 

She wanted to scream, to smash the glass and tear that thing to little bits. On the outside she knew she was calm but inside was complete chaos. That man had done this to her. Nothing could ever be the same gain because of him. She couldn't work half the things in her house, she couldn't shop, she couldn't even love! As soon as the thoughts crossed her mind, she felt a jolt run through her body.

In recent weeks, she'd started to feel a little more like her old self. And that was due so much to Chris. And of course it had occurred to her that maybe they could be something more, that he wanted them to be. Even without realizing it, Jill had been pushing him away. Each time things got too intense, she dodged the situation entirely. It was hard on her because it hurt. She could not imagine what it felt like for the man who had dedicated so much time solely to find her and getting her back. Suddenly it was all coming down on her.

She felt a tightness in her chest that was making it hard to breath. People kept walking by unaware of the sudden struggle she was experiencing. Wesker was dead but she was no more free now than she'd been when he'd had her in his grip. Even now, standing in a public street, she felt his influence all around it. It was like a toxin that raced her blood. His death had not provided the cure. No matter how much she'd hoped and prayed for it. 

Holding her own chest, Jill turned and started down the road. Everything was spinning and it felt like she might be sick to her stomach. She nearly vomited right there on the ground but her phone ringing was able to tear her mind away from the thoughts terrorizing her. She stared at the screen, not recognizing the number displayed there. It was probably a wrong number but she hit the call button anyway.

"Y-yes?" She asked, fighting back the bile in her throat. 

_"Agent Valentine, I'm calling from the Research department in regards to your visitation request."_

She leaned against the bus stop sign and tried to take some deep breaths to settle herself. 

"Of course, yes sorry. Can I come in?" 

_"Yes ma'am, you'd been approved."_

Before she could ask when or say anything else, the line went dead. That was a little odd. It didn't matter though. It gave her something to think about other than Wesker and that was a gift in itself. Hopefully she'd be able to keep herself together at the BSAA. The last thing she needed was them seeing her get ill from things like this. She would end up being forced to a shrink or something and that would not help right now. She needed to deal with this on her own.


	23. ...Always STARS.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The evening continues, giving Jill and Wesker a new perspective on one another.

April 23rd 2008

They danced for a while before he finally lead her from the floor. Things had been slow. This wasn't exactly the kind of crowd to do nother more than waltzing. It quickly lost interest for them both. She was thankful that they were on the same page in that regard. Picking up two more glasses of champagne, Jill followed the blond man towards the back where it appeared doors lead outside. They'd nearly made it there when his pace stuttered a little. Her brow came together as she watched. He was always so perfect in his step and movement. This made her worry.

As she continued watching, she saw him attempt to casually check his own heart rate. Something was wrong. Putting the drinks down onto the tray of a passing waiter. With a quickening motion, she caught up and placed a hand on his shoulder. Instantly she knew something was wrong. Sweat beaded over his forehead as she tried to push through the people to get to the back doors. Whatever had effected him the other day seemed to have returned. It made her nervous since she wasn't sure what the outcome might be if he did not get that injection he'd had before. Hopefully he'd brought it and just needed a place to do it. Then again, if he died, would she be free?

Why did that thought not make her happy?

They managed to get through the doors onto an outside walkway. Jill shut the doors and moved back to Wesker's side.

"Do you have your injection?" She asked, assuming this was what the problem was. 

Wesker shook his head, now placing a palm against his temple. He wasn't even trying to play it off at this point. Whatever was wrong was now at the point that he was openly displaying his pain. 

"Jill, I need you to knock me unconscious." 

Her eyes went wide.

"What? No!" She snapped back, looking towards the ball room sized gathering behind them. Someone was going to notice if she bashed him over the head.

"You have to. If I'm knocked out, I can't harm anyone." 

His words sent chills through her. What the hell could be wrong with him that would endanger the other people here? Was his infection worse than he let on? Maybe he was trying to balance it with a cure. She'd been lucky enough to be completely cured but maybe he was not so fortunate. All the possible outcomes of this flashed before her eyes. Wesker probably had his weapons on him but if he turned or went mad, she might not be able to get them off him in time to stop an attack. What could she do other than listen to him. 

The doors behind them opened and a man started to step out. He hadn't seen them yet because his gaze was cast backwards into the room. Wesker groaned, pain evident in his face. In a state of panic, Jill grabbed him and pulled him off to the side, behind a large potted plant. She didn't need anyone seeing him in this condition so she did the only thing that she thought would work. Jill grabbed his face and locked their lips together. She kept her body pressed firmly against his in order to keep him upright and against the wall. At first he was stiff but he did press back into the kiss after a moment. It seemed that he became aware of her plan and pushed to help. Spinning them around, he pushed her back against the wall and kissed her deeply. She could feel that he was leaning hard against the wall with one arm, probably struggling to keep up. 

From somewhere off to the side, she heard the stranger speak.

"Hello, sir....oh. Oh my. My apologies...." He muttered in an embarrassed tone of voice before the sound of the doors shutting could be heard.

When their lips parted, she let out a sigh of relief. At least the guy hadn't been a creep and stuck around to watch or something. They remained there for a few long seconds, breathing against each other before she felt the need to break the silence. This was not a position she ever thought she'd be in with this man but somewhere in the back of her head, she didn't think it was too terrible. Instantly she regretted that and wanted to cleanse herself. 

"I need this to not stop." He said in a low voice, right against her ear.

Jill shivered. 

"I don't put out on the first date." 

Wesker growled and it made her entire body shake.

"Distraction. I need you to be my distraction to get through this." 

He sounded so...serious and sincere. There was no way she was going to let this man have at her, let alone outside of a room full of a hundred or more people. These stern thoughts of hers were becoming harder to focus on when the man in question started kissing along her neck. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. Anything else at all. But his hands trailed down her sides, forcing her hips forward. Suddenly she couldn't think but she placed her hands against his chest anyway.

"Wesker, I'm not your tool to use like this." 

"Who said I'm using you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one ends in a tease but don't worry! There shall be more!


	24. Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BSAA has given Jill the go ahead to visit with the child BOW that was found on her last mission. Even though she knows she can't save the child, she's still drawn to her.

The science wing of the closest base looked just how all the other's did. At least, all the ones that she had seen in her life. After her exposure in Raccoon city and more recently in Africa, the white sterilized rooms were burned into her mind. They all were equally unfriendly and harsh. That was why she knew that poor girl might need a friend. This was no place for anyone let alone a child. She wrapped her arms around herself as she was lead down one hallway and then the next. The little woman in the white lab coat who was leading her said nothing. All her warnings had been given at the door and since then it was all silence. Every so often, there was an arm guard stationed. They didn't look like BSAA agents though. These men were military, probably trained to kill in ways that even Jill did not know. At this point, that was really saying something.

Finally, they stopped at a plain white door. There was only a clipboard hanging on the wall next to it. Aside from that, there was nothing. No identifying numbers or marks. These places sure liked to keep things clean cut. The little woman slid a card through a reader at the door's handle. A series of beeps came and then the lock released. Jill waited as she pulled it open. Inside, the room looked just like the one she'd been in not terribly long ago. There was a bed, sink and toilet. No other effects could be seen. Even though it was foolish, she'd thought they might give the girl some toys or better clothing. Even if she was possibly a monster, she was still a little girl. This was probably traumatizing for her. Then again, they were just going to kill her, right? Apparently they thought it didn't matter in that case.

The tiny girl was sitting on the bed, knees brought up against her chest. She stared straight down at her snow white sheets with no expression on her face. Jill felt her heart ache for the poor thing because she knew exactly what was going on behind that emotionless face. She'd been in the same place more than once. Did this child know that her fate ended with death by the hands of the people here? Was she aware of what she actually was? Could someone so young actually be aware of such things? She hoped not. It would be easier on her to not be aware of the horrors were life had and would continue to entertain. It gave the elder woman a painful tug at her heart. The more she thought about it, the more she thought that death wouldn't be such a terrible thing. The life she could lead being infected...would not be a good one. Constant lock up, tests...Jill shuddered just imagining a life time of it. It was what she thought would happen to her during her three years in Africa.

Moving inside slow, she approached the child. The woman behind her shut the door and Jill saw a guard step in front of the thick glass window. It was unnerving but she ignored it. Even as she got near, the girl did not react. Her little eyes were still cast down thought she had to be able to see she was not alone now. There were no tear stains or shaking now, which could be a good thing. Then again, it might be the opposite. A lack of fear was not always the best indicator for a healthy mind. Of course after what she'd been though, that could hardly be expected of her. If she brought down into herself, it would make perfect sense. Jill had been an adult during her trauma and barely managed to get by without having a complete mental break down. Hell maybe she had at one point. It was so hard to recall certain times.

"Hey sweetie. How are you? Do you remember?" She asked as she carefully sat down at the end of the bed. 

The child slowly looked up. Her bright eyes were glossy. She'd probably been dosed more than a few times. 

"Hi..." She said, a little drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. 

Jill frowned and leaned by to grab a bit of toilet paper to wipe it up. She tossed the paper in the bin and frowned. Whatever they'd given this girl, it was strong. She looked like she probably had no idea what planet she was on. It was hard to decide if that was a good or bad thing. For all they knew, she might mutate further and tear this place apart. The blonde had to close her eyes at that thought. It was a terrible possibility but it helped remind her that things like this had to happen. This girl was unstable and dangerous, no matter how badly she felt for her. The BSAA's job was to keep the world safe from bio terrorism. This child was a casualty in that. How many people had Jill killed outright without a second thought? They had been actual living humans at one point. This girl was no different. So why was she getting so attached? What was making her want to save a child that could not be saved? This seemed so much more like a Chris move but even he had told her to let this one go. That was truly saying something coming from the man who wanted to save every life he possibly could no matter what the personal cost.

"Are you okay?" She asked, offering a smile.

The child stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. It was clear she wasn't all there.

"I wanted to check on you." She continued and then reached into her purse. It had been checked of course but one thing was allowed through.

Jill pulled out a little pink bear. It was tiny, only a few dollars at the corner store but she'd never been extravagant. These kinds of things were always her favorite as a child. Her father would bring back little gas station gifts for her and they meant the world. She hoped that maybe the child would be able to cling to this bear in darker moments. Because there were surely many more to come for her before the end. The girl reached out, touching the bear's ears before she took it and brought it to her lap. They were both silent for a long time before she hugged her gift and gave a soft smile. She was still dazed but at least she showed some sort of sign that she was alive. It gave Jill a little comfort. As the child turned to lay on her side, the woman stood up. They'd only given her a short time and she'd rather the girl rest than be bothered by her.

The armed guard let her out, not speaking a work or making any gestures towards her.

She left in silence.


	25. The Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though she's unsure about the truth behind his words, Jill gives in to Wesker's so called 'distraction' tactic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This is a chapter containing strong sexual content. If you aren't comfortable reading this, don't worry. You can skip it and anything important will be included in future chapters! I also want to point out that this was meant to be fast and fairly tame considering it's a 'first time' for the two characters together.

April 23rd 2008

The helicopter door was thrown open, the slam of it reaching the end of its track was lost to the loud roar of the engine. The blonde was attempting to make her way up into the bird backwards and would have failed if not for the hands keeping her steady, hands that were all over her body in the process. Wesker was in front of her, his mouth fighting to keep up with hers as she backed up. Fingers clawed at the leather seats, pulling and tugging her way until she managed to get herself up into a seat. The man of course was much more graceful about it, getting in with ease even while keeping himself practically attached to her. It was a complete mess and she wasn't even sure how the door got shut. It was probably the co-pilot. That might have embarrassed her if it wasn't for how very distracted they both her. Apparently his plan was better than she'd originally thought. 

They had barely made it out to the grounds without making a scene. Wesker had grabbed her when they were halfway across the lawn and forced her into a kiss that she was pretty sure had melted her legs into the ground. From there, they had progressed into a wild mess of hands, lips, and lewd sounds. At first she just kept telling herself she was doing this to get him home and away from those innocent people. But it had been a very long time since she'd been touched like this and natural instinct was ready and willing to take over. That was probably why she didn't protest when her dress was shoved up by his hand as it raced along her thigh. Every touch he made against her was exhilarating. Every part of her rational mind wanted to protest that. He was a sick monster who had killed her friends or been involved in their deaths in some other way. He would have killed her and Chris, he imprisoned her and made her into something dangerous. But she couldn't stop. No matter how hard those thoughts pressed into her, she didn't slow down. 

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket, shoving it down his shoulders and arms. With no snide comment or sound of irritation, he gave her what she wanted. No matter what it was, he just did it. The jacket was tossed, his shirt quickly unbuttoned. Even when she slid out from under him and shoved him down into the seat she'd been spread out on, Wesker did not say a word. For some terrible and petty reason, she loved it. It made her feel in control and that was something that never happened between the two. He never gave her an inch when it came to them doing anything else. Now though, it was like she was giving him orders. It wasn't a moment to be missed. Standing up some in the fairly small space, Jill slid her panties down her legs and let them drop before she crawled onto his lap, straddling his legs with ease. Hands firmly gripped her hips, dragging her exposed body against a very obvious bulge in his pants. Jill moaned, her body rocking in instant reaction. Again, their mouths met in a heated kiss. Everything was rough and hard. She could already feel the puffy swelling of her lips. Tomorrow they'd be worse but she didn't care. She couldn't care.

Pulling back, the former thief used quick fingers to work his pants open. There was no moment of awe or discussion. She didn't care how big his dick was or what he might have had planned because it was her game now. He wanted his distraction and he got it. Forcefully though with care, she pulled him from his pants and let her hand slide down over the length. There were alarms going off in her head. Something kept telling her to stop, that she didn't need to do this. It was just to get him away from the people and now he was. They were in the air, flying back to the base where his injections would be waiting. He could just go fuck Excella if he wanted. But all those little voices trying to stop here were ignored. She let them twitter away in the mind of her mind while lust clouded reason. Even if they'd managed to get through even a little, it was all lost as she finally let herself go.

Both of them let out a long sound of pleasure as the woman kept him in place to lower her body down. Inch after inch sank in, filling up the neglected space at her core. But it wasn't like the movies where some long pause happened. They didn't stare into each other's eyes or take it slow from there. No, it was an instant rush of want and need. Her fingers tangled into the smooth hair at the back of his head while his were digging bruises into her hips. Both of them moved. Her body pressed down to meet each thrust his own hips made up. It was a grinding, heated cluster with no real rhythm. They didn't need one, though. She didn't need anything but more of this. Wesker was more than willing to give it.

The woman rolled her hips faster, body lifting up some as she tried to push for more. When she looked up, a smirk appeared on her face. Jill grabbed one of the hand holds that hung from the roof of the chopper. It gave her more leverage to lift herself up and down over him. The move seemed appreciated as Wesker jerked his shades off and stared up at her with more hunger than she'd ever seen in a man's eyes. Chills raced along her spine. Her insides were tense, wrapped tight around him. Her pale eyes shut and her head dropped back. It almost hurt how full she was but it didn't make her want an end. It was too late to worry about anything else now so she gave over entirely.

Letting go of the strap, Jill dropped her arms around his neck. Her mouth attacked his, tongue quickly invading his mouth. Without hesitation, he struck back. A gloved hand tangled into her hair, jerking her head back. His lips were then on her neck, sliding over her throat to her pulse. Moans escaped, louder than she wanted them to be but not stopped. He bit and sucked his way across her exposed flesh, creating fire under her skin. Maybe it was the heat of the moment or the long expanse between her last sexual experience and this one but whatever it was, Jill knew she wasn't going to lost forever. As much as she wanted to drag the feeling out, she couldn't help herself. The blonde gasped in breaths, moaning as loud as her quick panting would allow. She tried to part her lips, to say the words but she was silenced by another rough and sudden kiss. 

"Wesker...." She started against his lips but he shook his head. She wasn't really sure what that meant but she didn't have much brain power to question it right then. 

Without any kind of warning, he shoved her up off his lap and spun her around. Jill fought the dizzy feeling over coming her before suddenly she was pulled back down. A yelp of surprise broke out when Wesker wasted no time in forcing himself back into her tight warmth. Her back was now pressed against his chest, his arms locked around her like a vice. Her heavy head fell backwards against his shoulder as he started pounding into her. She didn't even need to move. His hips did all the work for them both and even losing control didn't bother her now. It felt amazing but it was nothing to the attack his hand suddenly started between her legs. She felt his bare fingers slip down into her folds, not the gloves he always wore. Nimble digits rubbed quick and torturous circles into her mound, sending shock waves through her already edge toeing body. Jill squirmed and twisted on his lap, sometimes forcing him deeper and almost hurting herself from want. It took only seconds after that for her to reach her peak. Jill cried out as an earth shattering orgasm overtook her. Her hand was locked around his wrist, holding so tight that her flesh turned white from the pressure. He kept going. His cock reached deeper, thrusting at a pace that made her body quiver even worse. Waves of pleasure washed over her and yet she couldn't come down from it. He kept going, teasing her clit with one hand while the other kept her from escaping. It wasn't until she loudly cried out his name that anything changed.

Wesker made a primal sound, his body jerking suddenly against her. The stroking of her lower body stopped, the thrusting out of time. And after another moment of them both locked together in a tense catch, his hold on her lightened a little. She was breathing heavy but his own breath against her ear told her that she was not the only one. Neither of them moved, both enjoying the high that came with cumming together. Even with how absolutely amazing it had been, Jill felt reality coming down on her like an avalanche. Slowly, she moved forward, easing herself off him and onto the seat to his left. Wesker fixed his pants without so much as a word, working the buttons up his shirt soon after. She stared down at the floor of the bird, listening to the loud pounding of her own pulse in her ear. 

It was over so fast. Now it was like a switch had been flipped and they'd go right back to normal. Gathering up some courage, she looked over at the man next to her. Jill was slightly surprised to see that his eyes weren't the vibrant orange they'd been before. They were now the pale blue she recognized from her time with him as Captain. When he noticed her looking over, he returned her gaze. A sly grin slithered across his face, making her wonder if it had all been a game. She felt the chopper touch down, not realizing they'd actually been in the air that long. Wesker held his suit jacket in one arm, bringing the other up. 

"Thank you, Ms. Valentine. You kept us alive." He said in a serious yet almost kind tone. However, he then lifted his fingers to his mouth, licking away the remaining evidence of her orgasm from the digits. 

Jill's face flushed with color as she watched. Still smirking, Wesker pushed open the door and stepped out. He switched his jacket to the other arm and offered her his other, still gloved hand. She did her best to fix her dress and hair before she took his offered help and got out. It was going to be a very long night for her now...or a long forever. Whichever.


	26. Flu Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill struggles worst than ever to keep up with Wesker in combat and it reminds her that he's all she's got.

May 27th 2008

Sweating palms pressed into the floor, barely holding the woman up. She watched her own blood drip from her lip, down to the concrete below. Her head was swimming and her body ached worse than it ever had. It was like there were weights on her limbs that slowed her down. Either that or Wesker had just plain gotten better. That wouldn't surprise her but she didn't think it was the case. This feeling had been plaguing her for the last few days. It was easy enough to call it a cold but as she thought it, Jill hadn't been sick one time since she'd first become infected in Raccoon. No colds, no flu, nothing. Maybe it was that damn device he put on her chest when she left to do his damn assignments. Whatever it was, something was effecting her and making it almost impossible to gain any ground on the man before her. Not that it had been easy before.

"What's wrong, Valentine? Given up, have we?" He asked in that oh so high and mighty tone of voice that he always had.

Jill spat blood out and pushed herself up again.

"I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping well." She told him, which wasn't a lie but not the whole truth either.

Once again, they rushed each other. Before she could defend herself, Wesker was there. He grabbed her arm and twisted it. Jill cried out as her entire body shifted to try and relieve the pressure of his attack. She found her back against his chest before he slammed her up against the wall. Her head was spinning, dazed and lost before he turned her around. Suddenly she found her reflection in his sunglasses very close. Wesker stared at her for a long time before he released her. The woman slid down the wall, thumping hard onto the ground and remaining there. 

"This is pathetic. You look like you did when we first started this game. What's going on?" He asked, crossing his arms and waiting. He looked like a disappointed parent.

She took a deep breath and rubbed at her head. 

"I don't know. I just feel drained. I...I can't keep up with you. My body won't do what I tell it to." 

Her admittance scared her. In the past she would have never admitted such weakness to him. Now though, she'd seen the lengths he'd gone through to make her strong and healthy. If something was wrong, who else would she tell? There was no one else. The only other people she saw were Excella and that freak Irving. Wesker did keep a small staff of scientists or something here in the base but she almost never saw them. They were on different levels from the ones she was allowed on. There was no way in hell anyone here would help her. She'd begged and literally cried for help during those first few months. That was when she thought she was dying. It would be pointless to waist breath on what could amount to a simple cold.

"I just need rest. If you could give me a few days..." It was a long shot but Jill tried it anyway. She looked up through her bangs, waiting to see what he'd do.

After a moment, Wesker just nodded and offered her his hand. She took it and heaved up to her feet, relying on him since she was a little unsteady.

"Alright fine. Take a few days. But if you don't recover, I'll be running some tests." He warned. 

She could accept that.


	27. Words Give Us Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her concern for the little girl still on Jill's mind, more and more seems to be piling up on her.

"What we've discovered so far is that she's infected with a mutated strand of the original Uroboros virus. The parasite that's bred from this viral infection was already inside her when she was born, meaning her mother, father, or both were infected during or after her conception. This could mean that the infection was being tested openly on the natives or that it was a leak. We're still trying to determine that information based on the data Agent Valentine and her team brought in."

"This village was functioning normally until just recently. Does this mean the girl was acting normal until now?"

"It could mean she was not from the village or that the parasite had not become active. We're still not sure exactly how this strand functions. We didn't have direct access to it until after the Kijuju incident. The data we do have still doesn't tell us much about gestation since this girl is the first case we've seen of that particular situation. Uroboros may take a certain amount of time to mature or it could rely on a trigger within the host body. If the village was attacked, it might have acted out of some kind of self defense." 

"Are we testing this?"

"Yes sir, we're running a series of test to determine the behavioral triggers of the parasite along side others about the village itself."

Jill sat at the back of the room, her eyes half lidded and dull. Chris was next to her, arms crossed over his chest like some kind of club bouncer. That's what she'd always seen him as after he put all the muscles on. It used to be a joke but there wasn't a lot of that going on these days. She felt like any progress she'd made had back tracked her into a more depressing state. Conversations with Claire made her think that it was just sadness over that poor child. She was now a prisoner just as Jill had been. The other woman believed she was just relating to her and taking all that onto herself. She could see that. It wasn't fair. They were talking about her now like she was nothing more than a lab rat to be worked on until answers were found. These people didn't care that she was a child. Her life wouldn't even matter at all once they got what they needed from her. This whole meeting was about her but no one had mentioned one time how her metal state was or if she was being properly cared for. What did they even feed her? Did she get any stimulation or to play at all? Jill hadn't been allowed to see her in a week and it didn't look like that was going to change. She'd ask these questions herself but she had only been allowed to attend this meeting at all because she was the one that found the child in the first place. If it wasn't for that, she'd be out in the hallway. 

More droning and eventually it was over. She stood up, smoothed out her gray skirt and jacket and then walked out. Chris was right behind her. No one else had exited as they seemed to all be having little after discussions. As soon as she was free from the room and the door had closed after Chris, Jill threw her hands up. Anger coursed through her but she tried hard to keep herself under control. If they walked out and saw her making a scene, it would just add to their already strange looks and concerned whispers. She was a constant topic of conversation around here. There were whispers that they thought she could not hear. Not all of them were about how sad her life must have been, either. Some were just mean. During all these thoughts, Chris clearly picked up on her mood and gently placed his hands on both her shoulders. She glared up at him, still caught up in her moment.

"I know you're mad but..."

"But what, Chris?" She snapped, cutting off his words. 

He sighed.

"...but you have to told it together. Getting upset and making a scene isn't going to help her." 

Now she felt bad. Chris wasn't trying to shut her up. He was trying to help. He was always trying to help her, no matter what. The blonde brought a hand up and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. 

"I'm sorry. It's just...she's not a person to those people. And neither am I. We're just subjects to watch and study. That's all they see us as." She had started calm but her voice cracked half way through.

"Are you sure you're not thinking of Wesker?" He asked, trying to deflect her anger from his people, to the man he blamed for everything. 

"Wesker never treated me like I was an object!" She yelled and instantly froze, her eyes going wide.

Chris stared back at her, both of them now silent. That wasn't how she meant to retort but now it was there. Why did she say that? Since coming back, Jill had taken extra care to never say anything regarding Wesker if it was even remotely positive. The hatred that her partner held for that man ran deep, just like hers had used to. But spending all that time with him had changed her feelings on the matter. Quickly, her mind went to work, trying to process what she'd said and how he might take it. She needed to say something, to counter what had been done. The last thing she needed was for Chris to think she felt any sympathy or the like towards Wesker. It would ruin everything between them. Yes, she thought that was ridiculous but his feelings mattered more to her than anything else and she had to fix this while it could still be fixed.

"He wanted me as a partner. As someone to work with him, not against him. Maybe...he thought treating me decent would build some kind of trust between us. But you know him, Chris. Just like I do...did. The man hides nothing. He...wore everything on his face. These scientists can't even fake a smile at me." She explained, looking down at the floor.

A long silence passed before the doors started opening. People filed past them, heading off to wherever they were headed next.

"It's okay." 

Jill looked up, meeting his eyes.

"He should have known you've already got a partner, right?" He asked with that innocent smile of his.

She returned it and nodded. 

"Right."


	28. Playing Parts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst part about keeping secrets is having to keep them from those that matter most. But what is the right answer? Jill faces a new challenge that has her unsure. But maybe her best friend and partner can keep her together.

"Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit...."

Jill pressed her forehead against the refrigerator, the milk shaking in her hand. Every utterance just made her more nervous. Eventually he pushed back and went to finish making her coffee. The sun was shining in, revealing that it was a beautiful day outside. Nothing was out of place. Birds were singing and children were running down the sidewalk to catch their morning bus to school. She watched, but only a frown displayed on her features. Back in Raccoon, it had been her favorite sound. Kids off to do what kids did. It was nice. It was normal. But after those two little girls had fallen victims to the monsters Umbrella created, her heart had hardened a little. It was one of the reasons she'd chosen not to have any kids, herself. The world was too cruel and too dark now. It was no place for a child. If she'd had the time, she probably would have gone and tied herself up so she could never take that risk. Life had been too fast though. There was always another mission, another place to save or check out. Time had slipped by. And look what had happened.

Pale eyes drifted down to the positive pregnancy test on the counter. 

She had taken all three of the tests that came in the box and all three had wasted no time showing up with that damn little plus sign. This was bad in every single way that it could be bad. She'd been home from Africa for a few months, meaning this wasn't a fluke. All her negative feelings, her occasional sickness or tiredness...it all made sense now. She had assumed it was from everything that had happened. Hell, she'd been through so much. It was hard to think that a pregnancy could have survived all of it. Instantly, she thought back to her fight against Chris and Sheva, to her struggle with Josh to escape. There were a few fond thoughts about the strength of the life she was apparently growing but Jill shut those down as fast as they cropped up. This was not a good thing. It would never be a good thing. And there were a million reasons why.

This baby was Wesker's. That in itself was a nightmare. But it meant more than blond hair and a bad attitude. Wesker had been infected a few times over. He'd used the T-Virus to keep himself alive in the mansion and had since experimented on himself in other ways. Thank god he hadn't used Uroboros on himself until the very end. She could already imagine those disgusting tendrils moving around inside her. The though almost made her puke up the coffee she'd just managed to choke down. Even without that parasite, his blood was tainted and dangerous. If it were to come out that she was pregnant with his child, the BSAA and probably the government would lock her up so fast, she wouldn't know what hit her. It would draw into question the answers she'd given them and any semblance of trust they'd had in her would be gone. She then thought about Chris. The frown deepened. What would she tell Chris? He'd never want to see her again. He'd push her away and never look back. 

The thought hurt. It hurt more than any of the other consequences. That part of her time in Africa was private and she never intended for anyone else to find out. Finding comfort in something physical with Wesker...she couldn't make it make sense to herself. How could she possibly make it understandable to other people? They would make her confess everything and Chris would be there, listening to every encounter she'd shared with the man who should have been their enemy. Jill brought a hand up, rubbing at her bridge. What could she do? 

A knock at the door made her jump, spilling coffee all over the floor and counter. Cursing, she set the cup down and snatched up the test. The blonde ran down the hall, gathering up the other two and tossing all three deep into the bottom of her trash bin. Once they were buried, she ran back to the door. She was a mess. Her hair was all over around her shoulders, her shirt now had a fairly big coffee stain on it, and the bags under her eyes had to be obvious. Hopefully it was just the mailman, dropping off something or a kid needing a ball from her tiny backyard. But of course that wasn't who it was.

She opened the door, only to see Chris standing there. He smiled and raised a bag.

"Doughnut?" He asked in a voice that was much too chipper. That faded when he looked at her though. "Whoa are you okay? What happened?" 

She let out a breath and a half laugh.

"I just woke up and you scared the hell out of me! Made me spill my coffee..." She replied, staring down at the brown that covered part of her plain white t-shirt. 

Chris seemed like he was trying not to laugh. Glaring, the woman ushered him inside before shutting the door. 

"Make yourself comfortable, jerk. I'm gonna change and clean up the mess in the kitchen that you caused." She said, making sure to heavily imply his guilt in the matter. 

Not waiting for a response, she went to her bedroom. This felt normal. Before the incident at Spencer's Estate, this was how the did things. Chris would show up with some sweet treat in the morning or after returning from the BSAA. They would hang out, laugh, and have a generally good time together. Claire always called them a couple because of it. For a while, Jill thought it might end up that way. Just before Umbrella fell, they had shared one very passionate night together. But that had been it. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with him or anything like that. Their lives had just been so hectic, both of them were afraid to dedicate themselves to something so important. So they'd called it there. Jill wasn't ignorant though. She knew how Chris felt about her. It was hard to keep her distance. When she'd been trapped with Wesker, her first thoughts were mixed between wishing she'd given herself to this man and being glad that she never had so his hurt wouldn't be as bad when she died. Even now, she could see that he still cared about her. That really would explain why he never gave up looking for her, even after all these years. 

The woman stood in her bedroom. She stared down at the shirt in her hands. It was an old BSAA shirt. The blue was faded and the insignia dull. It was one of the first ones she ever got. Sighing, she pulled it on and made her way out to grab a towel. Chris was still in the living room, kicking back on her little couch. His bulky self took up most of the seat, which made her laugh. Ignoring him for now, she made quick work of the mess she'd made. Once it was taken care of, she went out and dropped into the chair opposite the couch. Picking up one of the doughnuts he'd brought, she stared across at him. They were both quiet for a moment.

"So what's up?" She finally asked, wondering if he was just being friendly or if he was here for some other reason.

"I just realized we haven't actually seen each other since we got back. It's been all work stuff." He replied.

Jill thought about it for a moment and he was right. They'd only been together for business more or less. She'd spent more time with Claire than she had with him.

"Wow you're right. How did we let that happen?" She said, offering him a fond smile. 

Pushing herself up, the woman moved over to the sofa. She sat down, curling herself up against his side. They'd been a little awkward before. It was her fault. She was afraid to do anything, to get close to him again. But the instant he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she felt at ease. He smelled the same and he was just as warm as he'd always been. It was so comforting. She laid her head against his chest, staring off towards her front window. 

"I missed you, Chris. I don't know if I ever said it." 

A moment of quiet passed.

"I missed you too."


	29. A Wider Expanse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill becomes infected and forced into isolation.

May 28th 2009

It happened faster than she could have imagined. Some slight weakness quickly turned into a melt down. Jill began vomiting, shaking, experiencing the worst body aches she ever had. Her body was on fire with a temperature that was verging on dangerous for her organs. Every second felt like agony. She was no scientist but she didn't need to be in order to figure this one out. That asshole had infected her with whatever mutated monster version of the T-virus he was carrying around. One night with him and now she was gonna die. Why did that sound perfect? It was just the kind of bullshit Wesker brought with him. Even in her half delirious state, she knew that he was to blame and she fully intended to do so. She was in her room, laying out in her sweat soaked bed. He'd told her he'd be back hours ago. Yet here she was, still alone. The guy was probably going to let her die here. That sounded like him.

She laughed, realizing that he was back to the top of her shit list. Excella had been holding it for a while but with this, it was pretty clear who the new champ was.

Speak of the devil. The door to her room opened and in came the man himself. Jill's head rolled to the side, her eyes half lidded as she tried to muster up a glare. Unfortunately her muscles were all so tired that even that was a chore. So she probably just ended up staring at him with no real expression at all. He approached this bed, kneeling down to look her over. Everything about him seemed very serious. It wasn't like the sarcastic way he usually was. For some reason, that made a chill roll down her spine. If he wasn't making snide comments or being an overall jerk to her like usual, did that mean it was far worse than she thought? Even with all her talk of him letting her die, she honestly expected him to come in a save her. He was no white knight but he was the most intelligent man she knew...when it came to things like this. He was going to be able to help her right? 

"Wes..." She started but he halted her.

"Don't speak. You'll probably need every bit of energy you have left. I'm having you moved to another floor where you can be properly treated. You're very lucky I keep a variety of vaccines to the strands that came from Umbrella, including my own. Though don't get any ideas. I'm beyond a cure now." He added with a little smirk.

She wanted to smack that stupid face and inform him that she wasn't lucky. This was all his fault. He had infected her. She was probably cursed. But none of that escaped. Her body was tired and he was right. She might need that strength. There could be a truly bitchy comment that she needed to make later. No point in wasting that chance. As her thoughts circled, Wesker moved closer. She made a sound of discomfort as he lifted her up into his arms. Jill had no power to wrap her arms around him so she simply curled up against his chest. Though she would absolutely never admit it, it was just a little comforting. Either it was a viral connection or maybe she didn't want to be alone as she died. Whatever it was, the woman closed her eyes and just let it happen.

But she didn't die. 

When the blonde opened her eyes again, she was somewhere else. Her body was cold now, far from the over heating she felt before. There was a woman leaning over her, pressing a needle into her arm. The grasp of unconsciousness kept her from fighting, not that she really wanted to. It was just an automatic instinct. The woman looked up at her but didn't say anything. She clearly wasn't a doctor. There was no comforting words or friendly banter that would be expected in a hospital. Instead, the other was just quiet and stern. When the needle was removed, she walked away without saying a word. There was a light shining down on her, making the rest of the space she was in almost pitch black. She slowly lifted her head to try and look around but nothing would come into focus. This was likely one of the labs she'd never been to. Wesker said many of the floors were dedicated to research. Whatever the hell that meant. She was still too tired to know for sure.

"Hey!" She tried to yell but her voice was raspy and quiet. "What's going on!?" She kept calling, hoping her voice would get better.

No answer came. The room was silent. It didn't even sound like anyone was in the darker parts that she couldn't see. Maybe they'd left her alone on the entire floor, just in case the infection couldn't be cured. For some reason, she doubted that though. Wesker would have people watching, ready to take her down. He was no fool. Well that was in question now. He'd let her get infected. Then again, as far as they both knew, she was supposed to be immune to the virus. His was something new and unique though. Whatever he was, it was different from what the T-virus normally created. It made him into a super human instead of a monster. That was depending on your point of view but even so, that's the fact of it. So any immunity she had may not have worked against whatever flowed his veins. 

She cleared her throat, sucking in a deep breath.

"Albert Wesker you son of a bitch! What is going on!?"


	30. Game Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill tries to relax and carry out the only plan she can come up with. But in the end, would she even be able to live with herself if it worked?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note: I am writing this on my brand new laptop. This one has a slightly different keyboard layout so if there are any capitols missed, it's because this damn shift key is not where it should be! It's been driving me nuts but hopefully it all works out when I double check everything! I keep hitting the up arrow instead of shift. T_T

Claire was staring at her like she had lost her mind. The flat look gave away all her thoughts. She was confused and probably wondering if Jill had gone off the deep end. Her sudden idea to have a get together and hang out was out of the ordinary. She'd been a bit of a recluse since she'd gotten home. There were times when both Redfield's had tried to get her out to drink or do anything really. But the woman had always turned them down. She liked to sit in her apartment and mope about all the burdens on her mind. But now she had much more serious things to worry about. She needed to make a decision about her current predicament. There was no way she could get away with termination. The thought of it wasn't something she was a fan of, by any means. Even if she wanted to do that, the BSAA was probably watching her. They'd notice any medical situations she got herself into. Even though she was very pro-choice, taking the life of her own child...well over the last few days, she'd grown against that. 

Jill wasn't stupid. She knew the horrors that could come from this. This child could be born mutated. Or worse, it could be like Wesker. Priorities were questionable when it came to this man. Since she'd decided she could not terminate her pregnancy and giving the baby up for adoption was too risky, she was left with one choice. She needed to fake this entire thing. It was horrible in every single way. The world could not know this was Albert Wesker's baby. Her child would be ripped away from her and she'd likely never see him or her again. Who knew what nightmares the baby would endure. Likely far worse than that poor little girl...hell now her interesting in that child made sense. It was probably hormones. This didn't mean she'd quit trying to see that innocent child either. She was still on her mind. The point still remained though that she needed someone to be the 'father' of her child for the world to see. 

This was where the plan went terribly wrong ethically. 

"I know it's strange but I guess I'm just tired of being locked up in my house. I felt like I just needed some time to myself. When Chris came over and hung out with me, it reminded me what I'm missing. And too much time has gone by without you guys." 

When she finished her little explanation, Claire sighed. 

"I've been waiting for you to come around!" She said cheerfully and pulled Jill into a gentle hug. "We've missed you. I thought that jackass stole you away more than just physically."

As she hugged the other woman back, she could relate. Wesker's influence over her had been constantly on her mind. What if he'd changed her in a such a way that she couldn't get back? It was a terrible fear to have but a very real one. Maybe things could change from here. If she could pull this off and get her life on track, maybe all that would fade away and be left behind her. Somehow, she doubted that would ever happen but one could hope right? 

"I was thinking we could get the Raccoon crew together but I don't know what everyone is doing these days." She admitted as they separated. 

Claire crossed her arms. 

"Well Leon doesn't live here anymore, he's off doing all his important government work." She said in a teasing tone. "Barry might be able to make it but he'd probably just tell us we're crazy kids still or something." She added with a laugh. "Then there's Becca but I think she's still in England..." Claire trailed off, tapping her chin as she tried to recall more about their little group. 

Jill suddenly realized how much time had really passed since Raccoon. They had all moved on to different lives and been through so much. She wished that she could just gather everyone up together with ease but it just wasn't like that. Life was just too complicated. It would end up being the three of them but that was fine. She and Redfield duo had managed to have plenty of fun together in the past. For her, this wasn't about fun though. It was like a mission that she had to complete. And that made her feel guilty. She finished planning things out with Claire before they parted ways. They'd meet up on the weekend and do whatever it was they used to do. 

As fun as that all sounded, she just felt guilty. The only reason she was doing this was so she could seduce her best friend and partner. If they slept together, she could say Chris was the father of her baby. And how she wished that was the case. He'd talked about wanting kids in the past and she always knew that he'd be an amazing father. If this worked and he ever found out the truth, it would devastate him. That was why she had to make sure that no matter what, Chris never found out. Even if things didn't work out and this child was lost for any reason, he could not know. It broke her heart to think that way but it had to be done. There was no other options.


	31. Exactly What

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jill's recovery begins, she questions the limits of her immunity and just what her body can handle in regards to the many viral strands now known. Wesker steps in to explain things, revealing what really brought her into illness.

June 4th 2008

There was still only silence. No one had been on her floor since her infection and it seemed that wasn't going to change yet. They'd administered a cure and it had worked. Or better said, it was working. She was still weak but not as she'd been days ago. Her appetite had returned and little by little, she was feeling less like she wanted to just die. Wesker was the only person who came around but even he seemed to want to distance himself from her. It was like he was afraid she'd get him or something. This whole incident was his fault. If he could manage his damn injections, they would have never ended up in that situation. She'd have never slept with him and thus would not be injected with his freak show virus. How dare he treat her like she was some kind of leper. 

It was probably stupid but with her isolation, Jill really just wanted some social interaction. As much as she wanted to slap that man, she really just wished he'd talk to her or something again. He came in, checked her condition, asked her some questions that were mostly medical and then he left again. Even behind those shades, she could tell that he wasn't making eye contact with her. Was it possible that he felt guilty for having done this to her? No. That was ridiculous. As soon as the thoughts passed through her mind, the blonde dismissed them. Wesker was a lot of things but a caring man? That just wasn't in his resume. Whatever his problem was, it certainly was not that. She almost laughed at the very idea of him feeling anything other than an aggravating sense of self perfection. 

The longer she sat there, the more irritated she became with him. It felt like being trapped in solitary confinement and the only thing she could do was grow her hate for her guard. Wesker brought this anger on himself. He took advantage of her, made her so sick she nearly died, and now he was giving her the cold shoulder. What an asshole! While sitting there in her room, back to the wall, Jill fumed in barley held rage. She was still pretty weak but when that man walked through that door today, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. That was for damn sure. It would likely land her with a smack or something but she didn't even care. It would be worth it to make sure that he knew how he felt and that he could not get away with treating her as he was now.

As he always seemed to, Wesker arrived just as she was at the peak of her thoughts. The door unlocked and opened, revealing the man as he carried in a tray. It held her meal as well as another dose of the cure. He'd explained at one point that he was giving it to her in many small does to ensure no mutation took place. As always, she'd accepted his answer because she really didn't have any reason not to. Things that he told her involving her physical health or betterment had all been truth. She just wished that he'd have warned her about his stupid infectious....her mind trailed off as he set the tray down and walked over. A hand was offered to help her up. Jill hesitated and then finally took his gloved hand. She was pulled quickly to her feet, her other hand grabbing his arm to steady herself. 

"Look here, Mr 'too good to face the woman he fucked into almost dying'..." She started, her voice much stronger now than it had been when she'd been trapped in the lap before. "And do not take that as a compliment." She added, noticing the hint of a smirk appearing on his face. 

"Yes?" He answered, so smug.

Jill glared up at him, not releasing his hand or arm.

"What the hell is your deal? You won't talk to me, you won't interact with me at all beyond this little display. You used to love picking on me and chatting with me. What's the matter? Do you feel guilty for infecting me? Or maybe you're planning how to use your cock to destroy the world now that you know you can. That's some weird super villain shit you'd be into, right!?"

Jill realized that she was now being louder and much more aggressive than usual. She rarely lost her temper like this, always trying her best to keep a level head. Wesker just brought this out of her though. And now it seemed so much worse than before. He'd stolen her life from her and trapped her here. He'd made her relax around him and possibly enjoy his company...and now seemed to be throwing every bit of that little progress away. For what? She needed to know. Even if he had to break her arms to escape, she didn't plan on releasing him until some answers were given.

A long silence passed with her determined gaze locked on those reflective shades. Finally he responded.

"I'd like to just point out that you're getting more creative with your insults. I'm a little deterred by it but at least its better than mean glares." 

Again, she wanted to slap him. Maybe she could get away with it, him thinking her so weak.

"I've been deep in thought and much too busy to sit down and have a tea party with you, Valentine."

"About what!?" 

"Well I hadn't intended to tell you but I suppose at this point, it doesn't matter."

The way he said that made a chill run down her spine. What could he be keeping from her? What would he want to keep from her?

"I wasn't feeling guilt, that would be pointless. What I was experiencing was confusion." He started, staring down her. "When I became infected, I spent time in solitude, testing myself. I wanted to know every single effect that the virus had on my body, as it wasn't the normal strand that created the monsters you fought in the Mansion. For months, I worked diligently until I know as much as possible about my own body. One of many things I discovered is that this infection, much like the other strands of the virus, causes instant sterilization. No infected creature can reproduce. I recall that being something that put off Spencer during the early stages of the research, as he wanted to breed a perfect army. Sadly for him, it was never something that was made possible. But this did not bother me as I never intended to have children. It was not something I was interested in so losing that ability came as no downfall."

As he talked, Jill just stared at him with a confused look on her face. 

"Exactly what are you telling me this for?" She asked.

"I guess the idea is just as preposterous to you as it was to me if you don't get it yet." He said and shrugged. "You were not infected by me specifically. When we ran our initial tests on you, it became clear that you were pregnant and the fetus was sharing its infected blood with you." 

Again, she stared at him. 

"I was trying to run tests on myself again to figure out what had changed but..." 

She cut him off, her hand shooting down to her stomach.

"I'm pregnant?" She asked, her voice breaking.

Wesker instantly laughed. 

"Oh god no. There was no way I was going to allow that to continue. The pregnancy would have killed you and while I was intrigued about what would have come from this, I didn't intend to lose you in the process. You're more valuable to me than a pregnancy that likely would not survive long. The best option was to terminate immediately."

Jill released him and walked over to her bed. She sat down, hand still over her stomach. She'd been pregnant and not even known it. Obviously she would have agreed to end it but it would have been nice to know instead of him taking that option from her entirely. It was sort of sweet for a moment that he didn't want to lose her but even so, it was probably just because he needed her to do things for him. He didn't actually care about her. All this time she thought she was just unlucky enough to get her period while dying or something. Now she knew the truth and it stung. In such little time, the life wouldn't have been big enough to know the sex or anything. It was just a gathering of cells and nothing more, right? It seemed easier to think of it that way.

As she sat there, Jill didn't realize Wesker had walked over until he was kneeling in front of her.

"I'm sorry about this, Jill." 

Wet, blue eyes moved up to find that he was staring back at her with his own orange ones exposed. She felt a pang of something painful in her chest. He was apologizing and it felt so real, like he really meant it.

"If I had known at all that this could have been an outcome, I would not have touched you. Or I'd have at least been more careful. With your immunity, I didn't believe I could hurt you. Yet I did in an entirely unimaginable way. Please know that I did what I did to save your life. This wouldn't have worked. Your body was not strong enough to handle that..." He trailed off, seeming not sure what word to use.

The woman nodded, letting him know that he did not need to continue. 

"Thank you for telling me." She said quietly. "I want to be alone now."

Wesker returned the nod she'd given and stood up. He left her the tray and proceeded to the door. 

No words were exchanged as he left. There was nothing left to say now.


	32. Plan A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill and Claire manage to bring their party ideas to life but balancing her lies and plans is becoming hard for the blonde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning, this is totally a filler post. I needed to get the scene set but there isn't much going on right now aside from Jill having a little inner battle. Now you know what the setting is so the next chapters will be easier to transition into!

"Claire...how many people are here?" 

Jill stood at the campground, her bag slung over her shoulder. After some discussion, they'd decided to invite some of their BSAA friends and a few of Claire's close friends from her various organizations she was part of. As per the wonderful mind of Chris, they somehow ended up with camping as the next part of this plan. She hadn't actually been camping since before Africa. In fact, it was Chris who forced her out into the woods last time too. He was sometimes such a guy, it was cute. However, right now it was just kinda of annoying. Not Chris himself, the whole woods thing. She really wasn't feeling her best and now she had to sleep on the ground and eat whatever meat product those boys decided to brag about later. Already, it made her stomach churn.

"I think...word kinda spread that we were having a trip. Chris probably told a few people and you know how all these guys get." Claire said, standing at the other woman's side.

The pair of them looked across the open space among the trees. There were tents being set up, guys putting together grills or tossing balls around. There were even some female agents lounging on top of a truck, comparing side arms. Her gaze finally stopped when she found Chris. He was standing with another agent, both of them teasingly trying to help a younger guy start a campfire. He looked so happy now, more so than she had seen since they'd gotten back. This was his element though. These were fun times they had all missed out in their pursuit of the monsters in the world. Being able to just camp out, have a few drinks, and enjoy their friends...All the things they'd never been able to do, they now had. She just hoped she wasn't about to mess all that up.

"Come on, I made Chris set us up a tent while I picked you up." 

"Thank god. The last time I set up a tent, I was like ten and I got tangled up in the stupid thing." 

Once they found their tent, she put her bag inside and tried to relax. It wasn't until she saw everyone drinking that she realized she could not. This trip was suddenly sounding less fun. Dealing with all these people would be so much easier if she could put back a couple of those beers. She found herself cursing Wesker for more and more petty reasons. The jerk would probably laugh at her if he saw her pouting in a tent like a child. Sighing, she knew she needed to really focus. It wasn't like her plan was a hard one physically. It was the damn emotional part that got to her. What she was doing was so wrong and yet it wasn't actually stopping her.

"You okay?" 

Jill jumped and turned around. Chris was kneeling down in the entrance to her modest little tent. He was smiling but she could see worry behind that expression. He looked at her like that a lot these days and she didn't blame him. If things had been reversed, she would be the exact same way. Actually it was probably how she'd reacted after his trip to Rockfort. When he finally returned with Claire, she'd fussed over them like a mother hen for a while. The thought of losing Chris was one thing but for him to lose his sister...she didn't want to see that happen. At the time, she hadn't known Claire but now the woman was like a sister to her. She couldn't imagine either of them not being in her life.

"Yeah I'm fine. I was just making sure I brought everything I need." She replied, turning herself around so that she could crawl out. 

Chris backed up and stood, offering her his hand. She took it and let him pull her weight up from the ground.

"If you missed something, I'm sure someone will have it." He said as she dusted off her jeans. "I'm glad we did this. It's nice to see everyone getting out and having fun together."

She could hear the relief in his voice. Jill was no fool, she knew Chris worked too hard and worried even more. He needed this...And she was going to use this perfect event as a means to trap him. God, the more she thought about it, the more she felt like a complete monster. There wasn't even a guarantee that this pregnancy would survive. It had been a few months, yes. But Wesker had made it clear that he never expected the first one to make it either. The fact that she wasn't dying now had to be a development of her own immunity after the first time. Did she want to put Chris through the pain of thinking he lost a baby with her if things went wrong? She needed to shake herself out of it.

"Jill?"

She blinked and looked up again.

"Oh sorry...I was thinking about the last time we actually did something like this. It's been so long." She half lied, taking in a breath. "I know I needed this." 

"Yeah Claire and I were going to try and think of a way to get you out but you went and did it for us." As he spoke, they started to walk. "I think they've got the grill started up but it's going to be a while before we eat. You want a beer?" He asked, gesturing to a twelve pack sitting in the back of his jeep. 

Damn.

"Yeah sure!" She replied cheerfully and tried to think of a way out of that. Noting having one would be kinda suspicious considering this was a camp out. Drinking was just kind of what people did at this sort of thing. 

Chris handed her a beer and she paused, looking around until she spotted a cooler and some other things stacked off to the side. 

"I'll be right back, gonna get some ice." With that said, Jill walked quickly over. She found herself one of those red plastic cups before jerking the cooler open. "Come on..." She muttered to herself as she dug through the ice. Finally, she found one of those terrible ginger sodas and proceeded to sneak the cans open. The beer was dumped behind the cooler while the ginger drink filled her now iced cup. It looked about the same so hopefully it would pass for the alcohol she was supposed to be drinking. 

God it was going to be a long damn night, trying to keep this up.


End file.
